BALLPARK BANTER

BALLPARK BANTER RELOCATION

2008-11-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ballpark Banter has moved to FoxSports.com.

Please refer to the following address:

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/tm4000

Thank You.

Before we put this thing to bed...

2008-10-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

... a few thoughts to end the year:

* The Philadelphia Phillies are a deserving champion, and at a time when weather reports and economic woes dominated news headlines, the Phillies gave us a reason to watch the World Series and a reason to be intrigued by the game. They have been a club of tough achievers and undying believers. The Phillies began to change the landscape of the NL East last season by chasing down the New York Mets and stealing the division title in the last two weeks. That magnificent run was capped by a swift sweep at the hands of the National League Champion Colorado Rockies. This year was to be different, they said in spring training. Jimmy Rollins still believed the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East and Brett Myers said, "Why not us?" when asked whether or not they could win it all. That attitude has been evident throughout the entire season, and it just happened that the rest of the country was able to see seven months of hope come to fruition on a national stage.

This team was so much fun to watch because of the stories and the non-star players involved. Brad Lidge is a star, but he has been under fire and reconstruction ever since the 2005 playoffs when he pitched for the Houston Astros. Many lost belief, but luckily for Philadelphia, General Manager Pat Gillick wasn't one of them. Gillick traded for Lidge in the offseason and the man responded with a perfect season. Forty-eight save opportunities and forty-eight of them converted, with none bigger than the final one on Wednesday evening that ended with a 0-2 slider to Eric Hinske, sending Lidge to his knees, catcher Carlos Ruiz to the mound, and Citizens Bank Park into Happy Holidays.

The bullpen wasn't all about Mr. Lidge in the ninth inning. Ryan Madson came on in the second half of the season to be the primary set-up man, dominating the eighth inning and sometimes part of the seventh. Madson has great stuff but he struggled in the first half of the season until a veteran Phillies teammate sat him down after a poor outing against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and told him to simply forget it and keep moving forward and keeping believing in his abilities. That was the common denominator on this club. Belief. Madson took the words to heart and now looks ahead to 2009 where he will be a big-time fixture in that bullpen.

J.C. Romero was a lefty picked from the scraps last season. After being released in June by the Boston Red Sox, the Phillies signed him days later and added him to the pen for the final three months of the season. He performed well enough to be asked back this season. For a guy that couldn't seem to fit in with the Red Sox or with the Angels before that, he put on the red pinstripes in Philadelphia and turned into a dominating southpaw. Romero pitched 59 innings in the regular season in 2008, posting a 2.75 ERA with 52 strikeouts. Romero was a valuable piece for the Phillies heading into the post season, but I don't think Charlie Manuel really knew how valuable he would be. Romero was the man to face Prince Fielder in Milwaukee, Andre Ethier and James Loney in L.A., and Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena in Tampa Bay. For a man in his ninth big league season and beginning to bounce around teams, Romero proved to be a remarkably uplifting story this October. Romero was a force in the World Series, pitching 4 2/3 innings with a 0.00 ERA with as many wins as hits given up (2).

We got to see a group of veterans win a ring with their final days of baseball upon us. Who knows how many more times Jamie Moyer, Matt Stairs, and Geoff Jenkins are going to put on a baseball uniform, but if they decide this is it, they couldn't have ended great careers in a more fantastic fashion. We know Stairs will be able to hit a fastball until the day he decides he is a just a little bored with it; we know Moyer will be able to bait hitters into chasing his pitches until his kids grow tired of playing wiffleball with him in the backyard; we know Jenkins is going to grind through productive at-bats until he says it's time to go home and travel -- how great was that at-bat he had to begin the bottom of the sixth against Tampa's Grant Balfour?

It was refreshing to watch Shane Victorino pester pitchers at the plate and stalk fly balls from center field. The "Flyin' Hawaiian" gave us an October of energy and relentless attitude, attributes that too many players lack and too many clubs need. I can only think of the good a guy or two like that would do for a club like the Yankees. Victorino, I used to think, was 'purely Philadelphia'. But come to think of it, what Victorino is is 'purely baseball'. He is an ambassador of the game and a true sports figure, the type of player that I would pay to go watch play. We all love watching stars, but I would rather watch a pure ballplayer.

When I think of Pat Burrell, I think of Scott Rolen and Curt Schilling and The Vet. Why? Because both of those men were his teammates at some point, even if he didn't play a full season with Schilling, and the steaming hot summers spent boiling on that green cement called "astroturf" in Veteran's Stadium was where Burrell made his name in Philadelphia. Burrell has been the face of this franchise along with Jimmy Rollins for the entire decade, and yet he has been the target of the Philly wrath in the past couple of seasons. The city cried for his walking papers in 2007 until he responded with 33 home runs this season, lending a big hand to a struggling Ryan Howard in much of the second half.

Burrell now becomes a free agent and may not be back in Philadelphia next season, but he can be on the short list of people thanked for bringing the Phillies first championship since 1980. Burrell did not have a great Series, but his lone hit was arguably the biggest hit of the season -- Pedro Feliz may have something to say about that. Burrell led off the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 5 with a deep double to left center, and Eric Bruntlett came around to score his run (after pinch running for him), which ended up being the Series-clinching run.

* What is the career defining moment for a player? Or, in some cases, is it a collection of moments? This is a question that I ponder when looking back on great careers or projecting the future of young stars when they accomplish something magnificent, if only because it is a fun question to kick around with some friends. This World Series gave us career-defining moments for four players -- Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels. Of course, this championship is much bigger for the city of Philadelphia and for the Phillies organization than it is for any one player, but when the playing days of these four men are done, this could be the summit of their days as a ballplayer. And that's pretty special to witness.

It feels like Rollins has been running around the Philly infield for over a decade with all of his accomplishments and sound bites, but Rollins came up in 2000 with the Phillies and he won't be turning 30 until next month. Rollins seems older and plays older, but he is in the prime of his career and should remain with the Phillies throughout his career. He is a franchise player that would look odd in another uniform. The man has put so much heart and soul into the game and to sticking with losing Phillies' teams and bickering crowds that it feels like this is his sending-off moment. Except for the fact that he should have at least another five good seasons left in him. Rollins may have another chance at a ring, but it is very likely that this will be his only opportunity, and how fulfilling it must be. He can come to spring training in 2009 being the laughing, energetic guy that he is and prepare for another long haul without the weight of winning a championship before he retires on his back. This sense of relief may end up just making him a better player for the next handful of seasons. We'll see.

Utley is in almost the exact same position as Rollins, except for the fact that he debuted in the big leagues three years later than Rollins did. Utley will turn 30 this December and he appears to be only getting better. His prime is now, but he is the type of player that will remain in his prime longer due to the great shape he keeps himself in and his style of play. What do you say about a guy that can do it all, on and off the field? Utley is a better defender than he gets credit for. He makes the routine play and has better range to his right than I initially thought. The thing about Utley is that he is all business on the field, but that doesn't mean he isn't loose and having fun. I haven't witnessed a player more in tune with his "role" and his job than Utley. He hit two home runs in the World Series, but we saw him hit at least that many ground balls to the right side with a runner on second and no outs. He does more things to win than simply the numbers that show up in the box score. It's nice to see the consummate professional experience what it's like to be a champion.

Ryan Howard appears to be a young pup because his first full season in the big leagues wasn't until 2005, and he therefore hasn't reached free agency yet. But Howard will be 29 years old in November and his best years are now. Howard is one of the game's premier sluggers and will continue to be so into his mid-thirties. Howard has two years of arbitration left that will keep him in Philadelphia, but he is a prime candidate to land somewhere else via trade or free agency and get a crack at more titles with another club. That's the business side of baseball. What defines Howard about this championship is that he takes the leap from "young star" to "veteran". He is a leader on the Phillies and will be looked at as a leader on the next club that he plays for given his pedigree and sudden October success.

The oddball in this group is Cole Hamels. Hamels is only 24 years old and it is rare to be this good this young and be nothing less than The Man on a championship club. With his outstanding performance this post season and with 'World Champion' now tied to his name, Hamels is no longer a rising stud. He has taken the leap to superstar and now will be talked about in the category of the elite pitcher's and he will be viewed as part of the face of baseball. He should have plenty of more chances to reach this level again as the only thing that is stopping him from pitching until he is 40 is injury. More than anything, though, Hamels remained his So Cal self when thrown into the fire of raging Philadelphia. It was fun to watch.

* This is to Charlie Manuel and the job he did given the circumstances in Philly. Manuel has been a fine manager since coming to this club, but due to the Phillies recent inability to claim the NL East title and advance in the playoffs, the fans grew tired and began heckling The Virginian Grandfather and demanding the Phillies find a new skipper. Even this season, Manuel was hearing the boo birds and the jeers. But give it up to him. Manuel kept his head in the dugout and on his ballclub, continuing to keep them moving forward and pushing to win. That was all before Manuel lost his mother a couple of weeks ago.

It wasn't enough that Manuel was facing the biggest challenge, and the most exciting moment, of his managing career. He had never been this deep in the playoffs, or this closer to a World Series title. And then real life happens. But Manuel didn't make excuses, and God knows he didn't leave the dugout. He believed his mother would want him to stay with his club, to go after what every man who dons a uniform dreams of: a World Championship. So he did. Citizens Bank Park erupted with cheers as Manuel stepped to the microphone after clinching Game 5 to thank the fans and the city for sticking with the team and sticking with him as they carried along their October quest. Funny how it goes sometimes. That speech should have been the other way around. The city wouldn't have this without Manuel.

* We can't wrap up the World Series without giving a nod to the Tampa Bay Rays and the season that they had. It was nice to see a manager "get it". A real man understand baseball and the role it plays in life. Joe Maddon applauded his players after the game and thanked them for everything they gave this season. He couldn't have been prouder of them. But not only did Maddon understand how far they have come on the baseball field, he acknowledged how much they grew as men as well. This was a club of inexperienced kids who became slightly experienced adults over the course of the last seven months. This was a clubhouse of newcomers in March who became poised public figures by October.

Nobody expected the Rays to do what they did this season. Nobody expected them to win the AL East division that has been held hostage by the Yankees and Red Sox. The talent has been accumulating in Tampa and we knew this day was coming. But maybe in 2009, or more likely in 2010. But 2008? Most would have said you were crazy. But they did it. They won the division, they buried the White Sox, and they snatched the AL pennant from the defending World Champion Red Sox. A nice year's work for a club expected to finish fourth. It is never easy to come this far and go home with as much bling as you had entering it, but this season will benefit this club for the next four or five years to come.

The future couldn't be brighter in Tampa Bay. Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton are going to be forces for a full season in 2009, and Carlos Pena should continue to improve. Dioner Navarro became an All-Star catcher under the eye of Maddon, and he played a monumental role in the transformation of this pitching staff. Carl Crawford will continue to be the Oldest 27 Year Old I have ever seen due to his "veteran" role on a club full of graduate-school aged kids. David Price is expected to step into the starting rotation next spring and join Scott Kazmir and James Shield and Matt Garza to make the Rays the only club in baseball with four Number One starters in the same rotation. The Rays can add another run producer to the mix, most likely a left-handed hitting outfielder, and they can add another piece to the back end of the bullpen. But, even after this post season run, they are still the Rays and will have to continue to be creative with their payroll. Those issues will be handled in the coming weeks and months. Now it is time for them to rest and be thankful for the unexpected experience of a lifetime.

With that, we put the 2008 baseball season to rest. This has been one of the most satisfying and thrilling seasons from start to finish in recent memory. So many great stories.

Ballpark Banter will take a few days off to regroup and decide how to spend the rainy days until pitchers and catchers report. We will then be back to kickoff the "hot stove" season and have more baseball talk throughout the winter. See you in November.

Philly left in winter wonder

2008-10-28T10:53:00.001-07:00

We have breaking news out of Philadelphia this morning. Game 5 of the World Series that was suspended in the sixth inning on Monday evening and was scheduled to resume tonight at 8 PM Eastern time has now been rescheduled and moved to Wednesday night due to inclement weather. First pitch is expected to be thrown Wednesday evening at 8:37 PM EST, weather permitting of course. So that brings us here, a long day of chilly gridlock and diamond-shaped slip and slides.

The rain is continuing to fall and there are reports of possible snow fall at Citizens Bank Park today, making tomorrow's start time hardly brighter. Whether play resumes Wednesday or not, we will have to wait and see, but Commissioner Bud Selig has said that both teams will remain in the Philadelphia area and this game will be finished, regardless of the ramifications regarding the previously scheduled ball games. The Rays need to win Game 5 in order to take this series back home to Florida. There are plenty of angry people and plenty of happy people alike, and the newest management malfunction has been char-broiled on sports talk radio today.

Bud Selig just simply can't escape controversy, it seems to me. It wasn't his fault that both clubs ran out if pitchers in the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee and an unpopular decision had to be made in order to protect the health of the players and the best interests of the organizations that those players represented. The Mitchell Report and the steroid scandal business was partially his fault as the Commissioner of the league, but it certainly wasn't only his fault. And now when all the man wants is to put on a great World Series, he gets this. Rain, rain, and more rain. There are some things that should have gone differently, but lets not put all of this on Selig.

It is understandable why the Phillies may not like the way the events unfolded last night. The rain was going to come, everybody knew it, and the game was played regardless. It began pouring around the third inning, and yet the game was allowed to go deep into the sixth inning where all Cole Hamels was missing on the mound was some soap, shampoo, and a shower curtain, and he would have been set for his post-game wash down. But lets get something straight. The only hiccup involved in last night's game was the decision of when to delay the game. The other issues were unavoidable.

Selig had convincing weather reports in the hours leading up to the game, reports that suggested there would be only a little rainfall. Certainly not enough downpour to alter the play on the field. It could be argued that the start time of Game 5 should have been moved up to, say, 7 o'clock instead of the regularly-scheduled 8 o'clock start. But was that really a plausible suggestion? If reports are fairly good in the afternoon leading up to the game, how do you change a start time that quickly? A start time would have to be altered at least a day in advance to make the fans and players aware. Some talk about what a mockery this situation has been because it has hurt the "integrity" of the game, but shifting up a start time on short notice when many players rely on entire afternoons to prepare for the ball game and conduct their pre-game routines would have been much worse.

And I simply can't buy the argument that Selig should have called off the game before it even started. The city of Philadelphia and Phillies fans have been waiting quite a while for this one night, this opportunity to watch their beloved ball club close out a World Series. Do you think thousands of fans would have understood why Game 5 of the World Series is being postponed before rain even began falling from the sky? I wouldn't want to be the one making that decision. So, as good as it sounds today to have not even started the game, I don't think that was possible. Because after all, these decisions were being based off of weather reports that stated the game would be able to be played and completed. Sometimes you just can't fight Mother Nature.

With that being said, the place where Selig displayed poor judgement was when the game was actually delayed. Play should have been stopped long before it was. In reality, the clubs probably shouldn't have finished four innings, let alone slush through the sixth. It was an impossible situation for Hamels on the mound with hardly any grip of the ball, BJ Upton came around to score the tying run after spending an inning of Basepath River Rafting, and then play was halted with the score tied 2-2. The Rays never should have had the opportunity to tie the score until another day when we would no longer be watching slosh ball. Chase Utley couldn't even stand on the dirt at second base because his position looked like Like Michigan, and Jimmy Rollins was playing shortstop on roller blades.

But, make no mistake about it, these decisions have as much to do with FOX as they do with Commissioner Selig and Major League Baseball. FOX wants the games to be played at times when they will have the highest viewer rating, not at a time that is most conducive for competitive baseball. If the standards of the game were really at the forefront, Game 3 would not have started at 10:07 PM, and Game 5 would not have been played into the teeth of a storm. FOX wants appealing baseball, but "appealing baseball" apparently can't be played in the afternoon time. The critics of the World Series complain that "baseball isn't made for late October", but the authorities aren't even doing what they can to make the best out of how the schedule is set up. Instead, the remotes make the decisions and therefore the games are played at the coldest possible time of the day -- late evening.

Look, in a perfect world, the games would start on time at 8 o'clock, good weather would accompany great baseball, and everyone would go to bed happy by 10:30. But that simply isn't going to happen, and now it becomes a question of what is more important: FOX television ratings or giving the Phillies and Rays the best chance to win a championship? One is about money, the other is about integrity. Money will prevail whether we like it or not. If this was about the game, why not have 5 PM start times on the East Coast?

That would give the game a chance to be played in the fairest conditions possible. But too many people are at work at that time and not enough television sets would be tuned in. That is unfortunate because I would be willing to bet that the people who were planning on attending those games, and the great baseball fans who were planning on watching those games, would still find a way to get their World Series fix. They may have to call in sick or use a vacation day, but that would be worth it for a Philadelphian to witness his or her team win a championship. The folks that can't get out of the office may have to stay off the internet until they could get home to watch on Tivo or tape, but they would still find a way to do it. No, it's not ideal and it is not the best-case scenario, but it's not about those things at this point. It is about cutting viewing losses and keeping the game and its history in tact. Every World Series becomes a part of baseball's history and the games should be treated as such. You do the best you can, and you make no apologies for it.

Where Bud Selig is right is doing anything and everything to play the entirety of this baseball game, whether that is Wednesday or Saturday or whenever. Selig bucked the rule book and basically said there is no way that he would allow a World Series game, especially a clinching game, to be shortened by rain. That is absolutely the right call. In fact, why doesn't the rule book state that? It should be written in bold print that no playoff game -- any round -- can be shortened by any factor. All twenty seven outs must be recorded or else the game cannot be deemed complete. The Phillies certainly don't want to be remembered as the team who won a championship but "oh yeah, the clinching Game 5 was only six innings." Talk about a blotch of pine tar on a team's history books.

On the baseball side of things, this has to be seen as an advantage for the Rays. It is unfortunate for the Phillies, but they were going to be at a disadvantage regardless of when the game was delayed. If the game was delayed around the fourth inning, Hamels would have already been spent for the evening and for the next couple of days. So the fact that the umpiring crew let the game go to the sixth didn't really affect the Phillies any more than necessary. In fact, they got two more innings out of Hamels than they would have. But with Hamels a non-factor after only 75 pitches, this comes down to a three and a half inning tug-of-war between the bullpens. The Rays caught a break because Grant Balfour is still technically in the game, and he will be back on the mound when play is resumed. This extra day of "rest" wouldn't have mattered as Balfour is a reliever and can work on consecutive days.

After Balfour, Joe Maddon can turn to David Price or JP Howell or Edwin Jackson or Dan Wheeler. He has many options. The Phillies aren't as deep. Charlie Manuel will probably send Ryan Madson out to the mound to begin the seventh, but then have to rely on JC Romero as their last impact arm before Brad Lidge. After the mess that has been made and the sidestepping around the puddles, Game 5 will be completed sometime and there is still a few intriguing innings left to be had. The shelter of Tropicana Field looks gorgeous now, but this is the situation that we have been dealt and it's not all on FOX or Bud Selig or MLB. Chase Utley was asked about the predicament and he responded, "We have been playing for seven months, so it's not like another day or two is going to hurt us." It's not surprising that one of the toughest and most respected men in the business would provide the most sensible and responsible answer. Many folks share the blame of this, but nature is what it is, and it's time to simply make the best of it with baseball's well-being in mind.

Moyer not to be forgotten after midnight madness

2008-10-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

If you didn't spend any of your Saturday tuning in to Game 3 of the World Series, you didn't miss much. Turns out that the action didn't even begin until Sunday morning, a sacred day in Philadelphia reserved for barbecue and beer and Eagles football. But you couldn't convince Chase Utley and the Phillies of that. In the bottom of the sixth inning, just after the stadium clock struck midnight, Utley got an inside fast ball from the Rays' Matt Garza and crushed it through the damp night air into the right field seats to make it a 3-1 ball game. Ryan Howard immediately followed and drove a breaking ball deeper into the same section in right field to push the Phillies' lead to 4-1.

This game couldn't have had more drama, this stadium couldn't have had more energy, and this crowd couldn't have been awake any longer. After a rain delay of around 90 minutes, the first pitch of Game 3 was thrown at 10:07 PM at Citizens Bank Park. Rain had covered the field for hours before, but for the first World Series game in the City of Brotherly Love in 15 years, a little rain and a little wind wasn't going to turn the night sour. To be sure, Jamie Moyer wasn't going to let that happen. He had waited too long for this moment.

This was one of the best nights an October can offer. A veteran coming home for his first World Series appearance and turning in a gem. Moyer has played 22 seasons in the big leagues, dipping his pitches and singeing the corners of the strike zone with the best of them. Until this season, Moyer had never had a crack at the World Series. He never knew what the Fall Classic air felt like on the back of his neck, staring down a hitter with an entire city hanging on every pitch. He never knew what late October baseball looked like in front of a raucous crowd that put their weekend agendas on hold to help reel in a championship for a city that has had one in their entire existence.

Moyer grew up in Pennsylvania rooting for the Phillies and dreaming of wearing the same red that Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton wore. He dreamed of dumbfounding hitters a couple more times as fall begins to beckon for winter and an ice cold champagne shower would be viewed as cruel punishment in any other arena. But here he was, Saturday evening, taking the ball for his Phillies trying to give them a 2-1 series lead. Charlie Manuel was certainly in question giving the ball to Moyer who had been roped in his first two post season starts. The Milwaukee Brewers waited him out and then drilled him. The Dodgers just showed up and drilled him. Slow torture and quick pain -- both had worked. So to give the ball back to the veteran in the biggest game of the season was a bold move. But it couldn't be that bold, could it? Manuel had no other choice. This night had to be Moyer's.

Moyer sat around the clubhouse all afternoon, waiting and relaxing and preparing for the day he has always waited for. He was calm. He knew the opportunity and he relished it. His opponent, Matt Garza, was relying on an iPod and youthful exuberance to get himself ready to hurl mid-90s fast balls through the rain. But I guess 45 years of age and 22 years of The Show and a lifetime of appreciating the gift of a baseball game makes a man calm and mentally methodic. For most, waiting around until 10 PM was agonizing. For Moyer, it was simply one last road block to the performance he had dreamed of delivering.

As dinner time came and went on the West Coast, Moyer strolled out to the mound in his comfortable red regalia and delivered his warm up pitches. Moyer looked ready on the mound, those red Philadelphia pinstripes appearing as if they have always draped his long limbs and limber frame. By the time Akinori Iwamura stepped into the batter's box to lead off, the white rally towels were swirling from four levels of the stadium, the Liberty Bell had nestled up and gone to bed for the night, and Moyer was ready for the graveyard shift.

Moyer didn't give us a sturdy performance before handing it to the bullpen. He gave us an October gem before being persuaded it was time for a hot shower. The southpaw didn't give us four innings of shoddy ball and half a game of bullpen mixing and matching. He gave us 6 1/3 innings of hometown love for the people that had watched him all year, for the mothers and fathers and grandparents and children that stroll through his old neighborhood where he once believed in Philadelphia glory. For nearly seven frames, Moyer gave his World Series coming out and goodbye performance all wrapped into one. A month away from 46 years old, who knows if Moyer will ever get this opportunity again.

The performance was masterful in its design. It's no secret that Moyer has to be more precise than any other pitcher in order to win. He needs to expand the strike zone and get strikes called a couple of inches off of the plate. He needs the hitters to be a little aggressive and chase pitches that look like grilled ribs slathered with barbecue sauce until they get to the plate and turn out to be nothing more than undercooked poultry. He needed the Tampa Bay Rays to swing and swing and swing as if strikes were going out of style. It's all a tease. Moyer doesn't give you that firm 91-mph fast ball over the heart of the plate that big leaguers feast on. That is what makes his game so beautiful and fulfilling for the fans watching it. We didn't watch Moyer's chuck-and-duck log ride; we walked into Jamie's Butcher Shop and got handed Tampa Bay's remains. Happy Halloween, kids.

Of course, it would be easy to overshadow Moyer's performance given the fact that almost all of the action, all of the plays that create the headlines, happened after the lefty departed from the game in the seventh inning. Moyer's final line says that he gave up 3 earned runs, but the last of the three scored after he was pulled with a runner on third and one out in the seventh inning. For the third consecutive game, an umpire ruling was involved in a big way and this missed call could have turned out to be the one that sent the city into riot mode. Fortunately for the umpiring crew and Major League Baseball, the Phillies won the ball game the botched call that opened the seventh inning didn't impact them.

Carl Crawford led off the top of the seventh with an attempt for a bunt base hit. Moyer raced up the first base line, scooped, flipped, and dove all in one motion with the ball nestling into Ryan Howard's bare paw at first base a half step before Crawford reached the base. All good, except for the small detail that first base umpire Tom Hallion ruled the speedy Crawford safe, giving the Rays an opening to a rally. If he is called out, there is one out and nobody on and the entire dynamic of the inning is changed. It is possible that even if Navarro still doubles, he is stranded at second base and none of those runs score. Instead, two runs scored and it was a one-run ball game going to the Seventh Inning Stretch. And did the ball park ever begin to moan and rumble after that call.

The Rays relied on their speed to generate multiple runs in the past two ball games, and B.J. Upton tied the score practically by himself. Upton led off the top of the eighth with an infield single. After Carlos Pena struck out, Upton took off and swiped second base. With Evan Longoria still at the plate, Upton broke for third and was called safe and then advanced home as the throw from Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz got away from Pedro Feliz at third base. Tie game without the ball even leaving the infield.

The bottom of the ninth was the climax of this ball game as the Phillies walked off on a Carlos Ruiz infield single with the bases loaded and nobody out. The inning was sloppy. Two intentional walks, a wild pitch, an errant throw from Rays catcher Dioner Navarro that allowed Eric Bruntlett to reach third base, prompting the intentional passes and Joe Maddon's strategic five-man infield in order to create a force play at home plate. A nubber up the third base line, an impossible play for Evan Longoria, and Philadelphia goes to sleep happy. A weird night couldn't have ended in a more unpredictable fashion. But maybe that really was fitting after what had transpired before The Biggest Hit In Carlos Ruiz' Life occurred.

After all, how many people really expected the Phillies to win this game, even given the fact that it was the first home game for them in the World Series and the crowd was certain to be ramped up? How many people thought Matt Garza was going to come out on the losing end and Jamie Moyer was going to pitch like a post season version of vintage Greg Maddux? Did anyone see this coming? Did anyone expect more from Moyer than five innings and 3-4 runs? Probably not.

But that is what makes all of this so compelling and what makes October baseball and the World Series such a special event. Yeah, the Super Bowl is a week long festival and we hear about all of the parties and the celebrities and all of the bells and whistles of the event. By the time Sunday comes, everyone has forgotten about the game and is drained. Not the World Series. Why? Because baseball doesn't put the spotlight on tuxedos and the scanty outfits donned by the finest fans. This sport doesn't work that way. The attention is on the field and the stories that grow there. Heroes like Carlos Ruiz and Jamie Moyer are built on diamonds throughout the country in the middle of October nights. That's why we watch this stuff.

In a series that was billed as a town with a tradition of losing against a young club of hungry kids, the biggest kid of all slung the ball 96 times -- 64 of them for strikes -- towards home plate and pulled the string just before it got there. This game will probably be remembered because of the errant throws and the base running and the gamesmanship played between the managers, but we should never forget the performance that Jamie Moyer turned in on Saturday evening, on a night where a cold Citizens Bank Park was begging to be warmed by the Philadelphia blood that has ever consumed Moyer. The darkest of rain clouds couldn't wash away Moyer's moment. We enjoyed hearing how he dreamed it, but we absolutely loved watching how he lived it. And now he is two Phillies wins away from feeling that bubbly Fall Classic shower.

Three thoughts after two games of The Series

2008-10-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

* There is no other pitcher in this series quite like Cole Hamels. Hamels got the Phillies going in this World Series by dominating the Rays in Game 1, a crucial pitching performance considering the Phillies hadn't played for six days and their timing at the plate was certainly to be behind a bit. Hamels has pitched like an ace this season, and now he is taking that status to a post season hero level with his October performances. By winning Game 1, Hamels is now 4-0 this post season with a 2.57 ERA. And he's 24 years old. We knew Hamels was a great pitcher, but I certainly didn't expect him to come out and pitch like the 2007 October version of Josh Beckett.

Hamels tossed seven innings on Wednesday evening, holding the Tampa Bay Rays to 2 runs while striking out five. What transpired with the offense was about what we expected. They got two quick runs off of Scott Kazmir with a Chase Utley home run in the first inning, and then managed one more run the entire ball game -- a ground ball to shortstop in the top of the fourth by Carlos Ruiz scored Shane Victorino. That's it. Kazmir held off the big hitters the rest of the night and the Rays' bullpen threw 3 innings of shutout ball.

But luckily for Philadelphia, 3 runs is plenty when Hamels is on the mound. What we got to see from Cole Hamels was the art of pitching. We didn't see a thrower or an emotional trampoline a la Grant Balfour attempting to throw the ball 200 mph and threw the press box. What makes Hamels so good besides his stuff is that he is so inclined with his strengths that he knows what he can and can't do and he doesn't waver from that game plan. He knows -- and so does every body else -- that his change up is his go-to pitch. He has a good fast ball and curve ball, but it would be foolish for him to challenge guys up in the zone with the four-seamer the entire night. He's not that type of pitcher. If he throws his change up like he is capable of and puts it in a good location, it really doesn't matter who knows that it's coming.

What makes Hamels so fun to watch -- and so hard to hit -- is that the change up is a pitch he will go to against both right handed and left handed hitters. Lefties have a chance against it because it should tail in to them a little bit allowing them to have a chance at dropping the barrel on it. For righties, tailing and dropping away from them, it is death. But lefties can't hang over the plate and sit on the change because Hamels will just as quickly bust them inside with a good fast ball that reaches the low-90s.

Hamels doesn't become arbitration eligible until the 2010 season and won't hit free agency until the 2013 season, but if this is simply a sneak peak at where his performances are going to be going, he may be in line to break any records for pitcher's contracts. Johan Santana set that bar with his $137.5 million deal with the New York Mets, and there is every indication that CC Sabathia will break that this winter. But if Hamels stays healthy and keeps improving and is truly at the top of the pitching totem pole by the time he reaches free agency, he may break whatever record Sabathia sets given the fact that he will be 28 years old and his body type appears to be more conducive to aging than Sabathia's. Either way, Hamels need to worry after ripping through this post season.

* The depth of the starting rotations may prove to be huge as this series moves to Philadelphia. The Phillies have Hamels, but after him it thins out rather quickly. Brett Myers is certainly capable of a big performance -- he proved that down the stretch against the Mets -- but he was tagged for four runs in Game 2 and never really seemed to find his groove. The ageless Jamie Moyer will take the ball in Game 3 for the Phillies and Joe Blanton will go in Game 4. Moyer is a great story. A hometown kid growing up to play 22 seasons in the major leagues and the only World Series he reaches is with the club he grew up watching. But, to be fair, Moyer is living on the black of the baseball world these days.

Moyer cannot get by on stuff alone like he once was able to, and now he needs his command to be so sharp or else he the opposing lineup will get to him. The way for Moyer to have success is to bait hitters in to expanding the strike zone. In other words, he needs to execute pitches on the corner early in the game and get the corners called for strikes. Once he gets those calls, he can gradually work a little more off of the plate and see just how far off of it he can get the umpire to call. This is establishing the strike zone. Now the hitter knows how far out a pitch will be called a strike. Once that is established, it is Moyer's job to throw pitches that start on the corner of the strike zone and then tail off of it by the time they get to the hitting zone. This should allow him to force contact more towards the end of the bat rather than the barrel. Moyer could have this accomplished by the third inning. The problem is getting to the third inning if the Rays' hitters come out attacking first pitches over the plate.

For Tampa Bay, the starting rotation is arguably their greatest strength. Scott Kazmir overcame an early home run by Chase Utley in Game 1 to turn in a strong performance, it just happened to be against a better Cole Hamels. That's baseball. James Shields live up to his billing in Game 2 by pitching scoreless ball into the eighth inning, allowing the Rays to build a lead against Brett Myers that their bullpen nailed down. The passionate Matt Garza will go to the mound in Game 3 against Moyer. Much has been made about Garza and his ability to control his sometimes volatile emotions. That has been tabbed as his potential downfall and the one factor that may keep him from reaching his potential as a great major league pitcher.

I think those issues are behind Garza and he should come up big in Game 3 just like he did in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. Controlling your emotions is a maturity thing. Every player learns how to do it at some point if they want to be good, whether that be sooner or later. Garza has learned how to deal with failure this season and has been magnificent at simplifying the game to the present pitch. His mind is tuned for one inning at a time, and he no longer allows poor pitches or mistakes to alter his focus on the next pitch. Once we get beyond those concerns, we get to witness one of the best young pitchers in baseball, a guy that can be as exciting as anybody in the sport. A mid-90s fast ball and a sharp slider are his go-to pitches, and those alone are enough to dominate any lineup.

Game 4 will be Joe Blanton against Andy Sonnastine. Blanton is a good pitcher, but his stuff is not the same as it was when he came up with the Oakland A's. Blanton no longer pitches at 93-94 mph. He throws his sinker around 89-91 and mixes in a breaking ball and change up. The promising thing about the sinker is that hitters can know it is coming and it can still be an effective pitch if properly located. And in Citizens Bank Park, a ton of ground balls is exactly what the Phillies need. It comes down to one simply fact, though. The Phillies have one guy (Hamels) that has a legitimate chance at dominating the Rays, while the Rays have three guys (Kazmir, Shields, Garza) who have a legitimate chance at dominating the Phillies.

* The Phillies are lucky to be heading home with this series at 1-1. They are fortunate that Cole Hamels acted like Cole Hamels in Game 1, or else they would be in trouble. The Phillies offense has not been good -- they are hitting .239 with a .333 OBP in the series -- and Ryan Howard appears to be lost at the plate against anything off speed, especially from a left hander. The Rays have actually been far worse at the plate overall as a team -- they are hitting .207 in the series -- but they were able to scratch out a win because they are a multidimensional lineup unlike Philadelphia. The Phillies need the sluggers to drive the ball and hit home runs for them to score runs. The Rays can hit home runs, but as they showed in Game 2, they can also move runners around and make productive outs on the ground. Not to mention manager Joe Maddon putting on a squeeze and then a safety squeeze on successive pitches with Cliff Floyd at third and Dioner Navarro at the plate.

There is still enough baseball to be played in this series for both teams to make or break their championship run. Although that is true, we still must acknowledge the obvious, and that is the fact that there have been a few questionable umpiring calls in the first two games that would be broken down on every major radio station if they happened in, say, Game 6 instead of Game 2. There were two calls that went against the Phillies in Game 2 that they could have a beef about. The Rocco Baldelli check swing was a mystery call. Baldelli surely went around, the home plate umpire raised his hand to ring him up before checking the call down to first base where the first base umpire ruled no swing. That call was blown but didn't really have an outcome on the game.

The call that did effect the outcome of the game was the call against Jimmy Rollins in to the top of the ninth inning. Carlos Ruiz was on first base with no outs when David Price threw an inside fast ball to Rollins that clipped his jersey. Home plate umpire Kerwin Danley ruled that it did not hit Rollins, and instead of being award first and making it runners on first and second with no outs and down by two runs, Rollins ended up popping up and the rally was not nearly what it should have been. That was a mistake that will be extremely overblown if it happens in Philadelphia. I would understand any animosity the Phillies have after not getting that call, but there is a rule in October baseball that you may or may not know about: when a team goes 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position through the first two games of the series, they lose the right to complain about a couple calls not going their way. The Phillies have had their chances. Luckily for them, they enter Game 3 with the chance to go ahead in the series.

A great opportunity for Rays

2008-10-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

The clock struck midnight early Friday morning at Fenway Park and the Rays were clinging to what had been a comfortable lead, only to have the ball game ripped from their hands by Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew, and the Boston Red Sox. They were three innings away from heading to the World Series for the first time in franchise history, three innings away from knocking off the defending World Champs and divisional rival. There surely would have been nothing sweeter for the Rays than to party at Fenway Park, the home of the historic club that tried to push them around in May when James Shields and Johnny Gomes and Co. decided that they had had enough. They decided they weren't going to continue to be the welcome mat for Boston's front porch, and they had to make a statement. One bean ball and a nasty brawl later and the Rays had made their sales pitch. This is a different club, a different organization, a different year.

So, yes, allowing Game 5 to slide right through their fingers like ash through a grill was a punch to the gut, the type of haymaker that forces you to grasp for air for a week. It was devastating in the sense that the emotional letdown could be huge and the fact that they were so close they could taste the champagne and smell the Fall Classic air that would ensue upon capturing that ever elusive twenty-seventh out. But it didn't happen that way. Red Sox lore and Fenway tradition happened instead.

All of that makes for compelling theater, but in reality, it has nothing to do with the baseball game that is going to be played tonight at Tropicana Field. Talk radio went wild in Florida, calling this a major collapse for these young Rays, contemplating the ramifications of such a loss. There is validity in those arguments, but that is not the feeling I get from this club. They aren't worried about what they could have done or should have done the other night in Boston. They are mature beyond their roster ages, wise beyond their baseball years. Worrying is for the fans, not for the guys who put the uniform on and play the game.

The Rays return home where they had the best home-record in baseball this season, and they are giving the ball to "Big Game" James Shields. Scott Kazmir pitched like an ace in Game 5 but Shields is the go-to guy on this staff. He is a bulldog with a relentless approach, sticking to his game plan rather than trying to out-think the opponent. He will come at the Red Sox with a low-90's two-seam fast ball with good movement, and he will offset that offering with one of baseball's best change ups. In a game like this, one where the Rays have a chance to meet the Philadelphia Phillies for a chance at the ultimate hardware, we know that Shields will not be afraid of the spotlight and the pressure.

Tampa's bullpen imploded in the late innings of Game 5, but given their attitude and makeup, they should be able to flush that performance and come to the park ready to dominate the end of the game. I don't see Grant Balfour being hesitant to challenge the Red Sox with his fast ball, despite the home run that David Ortiz hit that just may now be landing in Fenway. J.P. Howell has been huge for Joe Maddon out of the bullpen coming from the left side, and he will not shy away from J.D. Drew or other guys he may be matched up against, say Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia. Dan Wheeler has had better days than Thursday evening, but he is a veteran and understands the ups and downs of competition.

The Red Sox are still the ones with the pressure in this series. They need to win Game 6 to live another day, and that test looms large enough. They have Josh Beckett taking the ball and, even with how he has performed this post season dealing with an oblique injury, I don't know if Terry Francona would really want to start anyone else over him, even considering Jon Lester and the performances he has turned in. Beckett hasn't been anything like the power pitcher we have come to know in October, throwing bullets and breaking off hammers that equal double-digit strikeout masterpieces. He has been vulnerable this October, and we know that. But based on who he is and what he has done and his competitive nature, there is a part of me that can never really count him out and restrict expectations.

I predicted Beckett to get back to his old performances in Game 2 against Tampa, and he couldn't make it out of the fifth inning after getting knocked around the yard by Evan Longoria, et al. That's two starts where he has been below average, and so maybe we should expect him to give a good performance, but not a great performance. Maybe we should expect him to battle his way through five or six innings and merely keep the Red Sox in the game. Those sound like reasonable expectations given recent events and his medical reports, but the problem with that is that we just can't think that way. For various reasons, we can never count out that 8 inning, 3-hit, zero runs, 12 strikeout game that could just be awaiting his next start. We have Game 6 of the 2003 World Series in Yankee Stadium burned into our memory. We have Game 5 against the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 ALCS singed into our brains.

For every poor performance that he has had, we can think of at least two good ones. So, sure, he may not be the same guy this season that he was last season. That we can be fairly certain about. But would you really be surprised if he comes out tonight and tosses seven shutout innings and completely overpowers the Rays? I wouldn't. Not at all really. Because that is his reputation, that is what we have come to expect from him, that is his big game pedigree. All of these things are intangibles that may or may not play a part in the ball game tonight. My guess is, still, that they will. But even if we look only at the surface, there is still enough to work with.

Beckett's velocity has been down. He isn't throwing 95-97 mph like he did last October; he is throwing 91-93 mph this year. His breaking ball isn't as sharp and biting as it was last season. But he is still throwing that pitch for strikes and he has introduced his change up. The raw stuff may be a step down, but the fire and will and determination are still there. The key factor for Beckett is not that his stuff has diminished a bit due to his rust or injury, but it's that his command has suffered as well. His fast balls have been over the middle and his breaking balls have hung. If he improves that tonight, the stuff he has is plenty to dominate a game. If he can command his fast ball, we will see the old Beckett results tonight. With fast ball command, he doesn't have to be perfect with his secondary pitches.

Both teams have their question marks, but both teams have a chance to really accomplish something in Game 6. The Red Sox can get this series to Game 7 where we know anything can happen. The Rays can get to the World Series, a great treat for a city that may not be able to keep its baseball team and possibly some incentive for the Rays to make plans for a new ballpark. The thing with new ballparks is that you must have a stable fan base and consistent attendance to support it, something the Rays haven't had yet in their history. Maybe this season will change that. Winning does things like that.

And so it is for the usual contenders and the new scrappers on the block. The papers and sports talk shows want to put the clamp down on the Rays, they want to create a scenario where they have a juicy story to tell should they falter. Red Sox Nation is waiting for their boys to pull through two more times so they will have an opportunity to sing "Sweet Caroline" on their way to a third championship in the last five seasons. The Rays cannot go into tonight's game thinking "we must do this, we must do that", rather they need to look at this ball game the same way they did Game 5. They have a chance to go to the World Series and rewrite the sullied pages of their first decade of existence. Tonight is a great opportunity for the Rays to do something special, not a day for them to recover and try again. And in the event this goes to Game 7, the Rays should look at that game the same way. This isn't panic mode. This is just post season baseball. This is a golden opportunity to accomplish and experience the summit of being a professional athlete.

Don't turn the game off for your winter books just yet

2008-10-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

After storming Hollywood and trouncing the Dodgers twice in three games on their own field, the Philadelphia Phillies are heading to the World Series for the first time in fifteen years after trouncing the Dodgers 5-1 Wednesday evening in Game 5 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. This series turned into a route after we expected it to be a barn-burner. On paper, Philadelphia and Los Angeles matched up pretty evenly, the Dodgers even taking the edge in most areas. So much for paper predictions and forecasting the post season.

The Phillies were the better team, the tougher team, the more poised team, and the hungrier team. It is really as simple as that, and we can sit around today and point to all of the reasons why the Dodgers failed -- poor pitching, shoddy defense, stranded runners, all the way down to lack of respect in the clubhouse -- but that wouldn't do this Phillies team, or this series, justice. In what began as a sexy series, a series between two teams with great tradition and history, turned out to be a boat race by the team that feeds off of a fan base that expects them to lose. The Dodgers' fan base, well, may just not expect anything of them since there is too much to get caught up in in Hollywood.

Oh, let the ranting and raving begin today. Will Frank McCourt pony up to keep Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles? Unlikely. Will the Dodgers make an attractive enough offer to bring back Derek Lowe to anchor the rotation for another three years or so? Unlikely. Will they fill their issues at third base with an established bat? Maybe, but most believe that answer won't come in the form of Casey Blake. Will the Dodgers try to reel in CC Sabathia to "compensate" for the disappointment that will undoubtedly ensue when Manny takes his bat to the highest bidder (which won't be the Dodgers)? Probably. The Dodgers have a lot of holes to fill, but they also have a lot to work with. It is time for McCourt to stop hoarding dollars and open up the checkbook in what should be the most active off season for the Los Angeles franchise in some years.

But the Dodgers can begin thinking about those issues today while the Phillies get to fly home and think about when to show up for batting practice on Friday. This story is much more compelling than any non-rabid baseball fan cares to believe. The country wanted to see a Dodgers-Red Sox World Series for the Manny-Boston confrontation, but we may be better off to have the Phillies going to the fall classic. Why? Consider these reasons:

Chase Utley is the best player in baseball who you would never hear about because he doesn't say a word. We said that Utley had to show up in the NLCS for the Phillies to have a chance to beat the Dodgers. How did he respond? Utley hit .353 with a .522 on-base percentage, 3 RBI's, 4 runs score, and a momentum-shifting home run off of Derek Lowe in Game 1. He is tougher than nails, and the southern California native embodies the city of Philadelphia and the Phillies organization. He is a superstar without the ego, a leader without the spotlight. All he does is grind out at-bats, spray balls all over the field, and make the routine plays at second base while making more than his share of the great ones. He sets the tone for the entire lineup by complementing the top and bottom halves. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are catalysts with a bit of pop, and Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell are the big boppers. Utley fits right in the middle as he can do some of both, stringing together one of baseball's most potent lineups.
The Dodgers have exciting home-grown kids beginning to make names for themselves, but the Phillies have two bona-fide home-grown superstars, not including Utley, in Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Rollins has been criticized this season for voicing his opinion throughout the media, calling the Philadelphia fans "front-runners" and immediately drawing their wrath. He is the match and gas can for this Phillies club, unafraid to stand up and say what needs to be said, regardless of the consequence. Ball clubs need a guy like that. The New York media laughed at Rollins when he proclaimed the Phillies the "team to beat" in the NL East before the 2007 season. It was Rollins who had the last laugh as the Phillies overcame the Mets in September to steal the division. But this year, the Phils did two better, making it to the World Series after being bounced in the first round by the Colorado Rockies last year. Howard is a gentle giant off the baseball diamond but a menacing warrior on it. He sets up in the batters box, stance slightly open with his bat hovering just above his back shoulder, daring pitchers to challenge him. When they do, he makes them pay more times than not. After having a quiet division series, Howard hit .300 with a .391 OBP and 4 runs scored against the Dodgers in the NLCS.
A reborn closer who is taking center stage as one of baseball's elite stoppers and is taking this post season by the throat. Brad Lidge has been to the pedestal of the closer role in his days with the Houston Astros. Then came the 2005 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals and the hanging slider that Albert Pujols launched halfway to Dallas from Houston's Minute Maid Park. The ball had to be by far the furthest one ever hit off of Lidge -- in his life, probably -- and generated numerous columns and internet-site hits. The Astros went on to win that series, but Lidge began spiraling downward. After losing his closer role in 2006, the Astros traded Lidge to the Phillies in 2007 where he was given the opportunity to begin fresh, albeit it in a rough and tough baseball epicenter. Lidge contests that those people who claim that the Pujols home run sent him into a two-year flunk have the story wrong. The All-Star closer admitted that some mechanical flaws coupled with a failing mental approach led to his demise. Now come to 2008 and Lidge has nailed down all 46 save opportunities, including five in the post season. He will play a huge role in the World Series for the Phillies and what a great story that will be.
The Phillies have arguably the best starting pitcher in the post season this year in Cole Hamels, who at 24, is quietly becoming one of the ten best pitchers in the entire sport. During the NLCS, Hamels went 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 14 innings and his wins were the opening and closing acts. Hamels stifled not only the Dodgers' lineup on Wednesday evening, but the Dodger Stadium crowd as well by commanding his fast ball to both sides of the plate and dangling the game's best change up, Johan Santana's offering included. Hamels grew up in San Diego rooting for the Dodgers because the San Diego Padres were lackluster during his youth, and he had the chance to beat his childhood team at a ballpark that he only dreamed of playing in. And he turned in one of the best pitching performances we have seen this October.
A great story about a manager and reaching a career milestone that many put out of reach for him. Charlie Manuel has done a great job keeping this Phillies team afloat in previous seasons when the papers and fans were calling for his job and the city was all but counting the days until football season after the All-Star break. As if the pressure of advancing in the post season is not enough, Manuel's mother passed away just days ago. With the extra time off due to their early clinching, Manuel has the opportunity to put his mother to rest and visit with family before he comes back to the park and prepares himself and his club for the World Series. Manuel insisted that he would not leave his ball club during this tough time because his mother cared so much about him and his team that she would demand he be in the dugout this time of year. It's hard not to root for a man overcoming professional odds and personal adversity.

The best thing about playoff baseball is that it is about unsung heroes and surprising teams and great stories more so than it is about the powerhouses and the favorites and the those who are "supposed" to win. There is no such word in baseball like "suppose". October baseball is absolutely about Ryan Madson and Matt Stairs and Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs. Television ratings are bound to go down during the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in it, especially if their opponent ends up being the upstart Tampa Bay Rays. But what we will be frowned upon in the sports entertainment industry will be a remain a jewel for the baseball fans who love to see great match-ups and energetic young players and studs who haven't hit mega-star status quite yet. We won't whine that not enough people are watching these games instead or that Thursday night college football looms larger than Game 2 of the Fall Classic. We will know what lies underneath the label, and it will be everybody else's loss.

Dodgers follow Kuroda's statement and take first step in series

2008-10-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

It was coming and we knew it. Everybody knew it. J.C. Romero sat in in the Phillies bullpen and knew it, Derek Lowe kicked back in the Dodgers dugout and waited, and even the victim himself, Shane Victorino, knew what was coming. So when Hiroki Kuroda fired a fast ball over the head of Victorino in the third inning of Sunday's NLCS Game 3, there was no shock or awe involved. In fact, the only surprise was that it took this long for the Dodgers to make a statement and decide whether or not they were going to show up in this in series. After three hours, nine innings, and numerous angry glares and venomous words later, the Dodgers rode a 7-2 victory into a blue diamond of momentum, pulling the series to 2-1 Philadelphia entering tonight's Game 4.

This game was all about fighting back and deciding whether or not the Dodgers were going to go about their business their way or the Phillies way. The crowd of 56, 800 -- the largest crowd in Dodger Stadium history -- was loud and energized as they packed Chavez Ravine for the first NLCS game for the Dodgers in twenty years. Fifty-six thousand white rally towels swirled through the cool air, calling for strikeouts and high-fiving base hits. From all unidentified accounts, October brings about a new rule: the entire stadium is required to stand when any count of any inning reaches two strikes, or if Manny Ramirez steps to the plate. That is a fact.

This ball game was adorned with bells and whistles courtesy of retaliation and the benches clearing incident that ensued after Victorino grounded out to first base with Kuroda covering to end the third. Both teams rushed the field when Victorino and Kuroda exchanged words, but the intention was not to fight. Manny Ramirez had to be restrained from presumably seeking out Brett Myers -- Game 2's starting pitcher who threw behind his head -- but Manny wasn't seriously looking to fight either. That was more Hollywood than heavyweight. And even if he did, there was absolutely no way the Dodgers were going to let Ramirez be thrown out or suspended. Down goes Manny, home go the Dodgers.

Victorino, I thought, handled the situation as well as it could be handled. He did not charge the mound, he did not challenge the Dodgers dugout, and he didn't attack Russell Martin right there at home plate. He understood that retaliation was coming and that he might be the target, and he was expecting to be thrown at. That's how the game works. Victorino simply put his hand on Martin's shoulder and told him he understands retaliation, and he is alright with being hit, but it's never appropriate to throw a 94-mph fast ball at someone's head. Victorino wanted Kuroda to understand where he was coming from as well. That's all it was, nothing more, nothing less.

Although the confrontation immediately made this series more compelling, Joe Torre said after the game that he doesn't believe there is any bad blood. Victorino himself thinks it's over -- "I'll squash it," he said after the game -- and now the two clubs can go back to playing baseball. Kuroda made a statement about protecting his hitters and that will speak volumes towards the Dodgers approach the rest of this series and the attempt to get the momentum back on their side, which they have done. But for all of the commotion, the real story of the game and the series lies underneath the fracas.

The Dodgers have been silent in the first two games, mustering enough offense to be reasonably close without ever coming up with the couple key hits to take a lead late in the ball game. The key for Game 3 was to hit early and often against Jamie Moyer. Torre and his staff wanted the Dodgers to be aggressive at the plate, not allowing Moyer to get the count in his favor and then expand the strike zone by dangling his bait off of the edges of the plate.

The Dodgers didn't wait around, beating Moyer into oblivion in the first inning before knocking him out in the second. Manny Ramirez drilled a first-pitch fast ball to left field to score Rafael Furcal before Martin walked, and Casey Blake came up with one out and singled to right to drive in Ramirez with the Dodgers' second run. After Matt Kemp struck out with the bases loaded for the second out, Blake Dewitt drove a two-strike pitch down into the right field corner to empty the bases and make it 5-0 Dodgers. That hit by DeWitt was a big as it gets -- two outs, two strikes, bases loaded -- and set the tone for the entire ball game. It was a game-changer and a series changer, possibly even more than Kuroda's pitch to Victorino.

Moyer could not recover as he only lasted one out into the second inning before being bounced as Furcal led off the inning with a homer to make it 6-1 Dodgers. There are a lot of "momentum changing" plays in the baseball, especially the post season, but I don't think any one is bigger than the two-out base hit with runners in scoring position. What DeWitt did was drain the Phillies dugout and stomp on Moyer when he was down. If Moyer were to retire DeWitt and escape that jam with only two runs on the scoreboard, he would have felt rejuvenated and refreshed coming out for the second inning. That out would have been a momentum shift for Moyer, but DeWitt snatched that away instead. That single pitch that DeWitt hit may end up being the defining moment of this series and the turning point for the Dodgers. Keep that in mind as this series progresses.

The majority of the talk concerning Kuroda is going to be about the one pitch that stirred the pot, but it was the other 83 pitches of his six-plus innings that defined the moment for the Dodgers. Kuroda has a game plan when he takes the mound, and he executed it to perfection. The righty lives largely off of his hard sinker, but will show a change up to the left handers as well as a slider/cutter that he will throw to any hitter. Kuroda executed his pitches on a night when the Dodgers needed a big pitching performance. Derek Lowe was great in Game 1 until the sixth inning unraveled and Chad Billingsley simply had a rough night in Game 2, and the Dodgers couldn't afford to have either one of those happen in Game 3. They needed Kuroda to be good from his first pitch to his last, and he delivered once again.

Matt Kemp has struggled this series but he added two hits in Game 3 and Furcal excited us all with his electric play. It appeared as if Furcal was not going to make it back at all this season after opening the season with a stellar April before hurting his back in May, but he returned just in time for October and he hasn't looked like he lost anything. Remember, Furcal didn't have the luxury of going on a minor league rehab assignment because the minor league season had finished by the time he was ready to play. He came straight to Dodger Stadium in the final week of the regular season and proclaimed himself ready to go. After seeing him fly around the bases Sunday, snag ground balls in the hole at short, and making strong throws on the run to first base, it is easy to understand why Furcal was the team's undisputed MVP until he was injured.

All of this adds a little cayenne pepper to the remaining games of this series, and play will resume with Game 4 tonight at Dodger Stadium. The Phillies turn to Joe Blanton to help them keep Los Angeles from evening up the series, and the Dodgers will ask Derek Lowe to help do just that on three-days rest. Lowe is a guy who relies on sink and movement instead of velocity, so he should be his usual self at home tonight. Blanton is a tough, fiery competitor who will look to rise to the occasion and put his stamp on a so-far thrilling series. Hiroki Kuroda did what had to be done Sunday, and the rest of the Dodgers need to follow suit and continue to fight and attack like they actually are being bullied by the NL East champs. Winning and championships don't always come easy with long balls and painted corners; sometimes it takes one knockdown pitch at a time to prevail.

Dodgers, Phillies provide epic opportunities

2008-10-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

It was only a month or two ago when the Los Angeles Dodgers were spiraling downward in the weak National League West and the Philadelphia Phillies were in a tight race with the Mets and Marlins for the NL East title, and the Brewers, Cardinals, and Astros, along with their divisional counterparts, for the wild card. The biggest news in Los Angeles in October was surely going to be the health of Kobe Bryant and a full season of Andrew Bynum in a Lakers' uniform. Philadelphia would surely be well on its way to turning its furious eyes and lively mouths to the Eagles, who happen to be fluttering in the NFC East.

But the things that can change over the course of the final two months of play are tremendous, and here we are left with two historic franchises with discolored canvases, awaiting an opportunity to start anew. Both of these clubs are in the two decade range since their last championship -- 1988 for the Dodgers, and 1983 for the Phillies. Philadelphia has somehow garnered the "loser" label while figuring out a way to escape the "choker" mold. Maybe that's because they never really are in a position to waste away an opportunity.

The Dodgers have been the lucrative franchise in terms of tradition that hasn't established a consistent winner in years. Their NLDS beating of the Cubs was their first playoff series win since '88, the days of The Bulldog and Gibby making history. For such a historic franchise, it was a shame that, until this season, their only post season win since that series came in 2004 at the hands of a Jose Lima gem. For Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and the long list of Dodger greats, Jose Lima has held the title of Biggest Dodger Moment in my lifetime. That's unthinkable.

But all of these memories will be put to rest for one of these clubs as the two franchises open up the NLCS tonight in Philadelphia in Citizen's Bank Park, which may be so loud the Liberty Bell won't be the only thing with a crack once these games are through. Cole Hamles is taking the ball in Game 1 for Philadelphia and he may be as good a bet as anybody in baseball right now to deliver. It is amazing to think that with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley and Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell, this is the first crack that the Phillies have had at playing in the World Series since those guys entered the ranks of professional baseball.

The Phillies have been a contender for a few years now. It seems like every season they take the division down to the final week with the Mets. With the exception of the past two seasons, it has been the Mets or Braves who have gone onto October, only to be snuffed out. The Phillies earned their first division title of Rollins' career in 2007, but were promptly chopped into cheese steaks by the upstart Colorado Rockies. But it is obvious that this club doesn't compare to last year's.

The biggest difference has come in the bullpen where Brad Lidge has been perfect in all 43 of his opportunities this season. Brett Myers is the typical key to this club as he will start behind Hamels in the rotation. Where he goes, the Phillies go. Luckily for them, Myers returned from his minor league hiatus and has a ERA in the low 3.00's since the beginning of August, a span of twelve starts. Jamie Moyer is the ageless veteran who can dip and dazzle his pitches past any hitter, and the key will be to see if he can take advantage of the anxiety that may or may not consume the Dodgers' young hitters. Moyer needs hitters to lick their chops and chase his pitches for him to be successful. If the Dodgers don't expand the strike zone on their own, they can make him come over the plate and then do some damage.

Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth have been pivotal parts of this Phillies lineup, and will play a big role in this series as well, depending on which Utley and Howard shows up. Those two prominent sluggers were quiet against the Brewers -- a combined 4-for-26 with zero home runs and 3 RBI's in the series -- and will have to return to their usual ways of driving the ball all over the park if the Phillies are going to have a serious shot against the Dodgers. Jimmy Rollins can't do it all, and Pat Burrell may be in for some trouble against the Dodgers' predominantly right handed pitching staff.

The Dodgers are amidst one of the most remarkable stretches in recent memory. When's the last time you can remember a team going from utterly mediocre in August, to World Series favorite by the second week of October? That is not a misprint; many analysts and talent evaluators think the Dodgers have the best chance of winning it all entering the second round of the playoffs. As much love and fanfare that has been filling Dodger Stadium in the past month, it isn't all euphoria and Uncle Tommy inspirational speeches in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are in this position because they really are that kind of ball club. It just took one Manny Ramirez for them to figure it out.

Since Manny came to the Dodgers, the pitchers have been nearly unbeatable and the plethora of young hitters in the clubhouse learned how to relax and let their talent and preparation carry over into the game. It is not a surprise why Russell Martin and James Loney came up with numerous clutch hits against the Cubs and that Andre Ethier has been hitting everything since September. The ceiling has always been high with this team, they just never completely understood how to reach it. Matt Kemp had a rough time in the NLDS and admitted that it was due to nerves and anxiety, but he should benefit from that experience and be thankful that he has another opportunity this year to make a mark in the playoffs. I expect him to break out in this series.

The starting rotation for the Dodgers couldn't be set up any better. Derek Lowe will go in Game 1, and he has more post season experience than any player in this series, with the exception of maybe Ramirez. It is one thing to say that you love the spotlight and the stage, but it is another thing to back it up and perform. Lowe does both. Chad Billingsley will take the ball in Game 2 in Philadelphia and he could easily be considered among the top 5 pitchers in baseball in the second half -- he went 5-1 with a 3.34 ERA in the final two months of the season, not including his Game 2 gem against the Cubs in the NLDS.

Hiroki Kuroda is slated to start Game 3 after pitching the biggest game of his life in the clincher against the Cubs in the NLDS. Kuroda was tremendous into the seventh inning, commanding his fast ball and repeatedly executing big pitches with runners on base to keep Chicago off the scoreboard. The Dodgers have options in Game 4 while the Phillies will turn to Joe Blanton. The most attractive option for Joe Torre may be to start Lowe on three-days rest and then have the veteran sinker-baller lined up for a Game 7 start on full rest. If Torre doesn't want to go that route, he has the option of handing the ball to Greg Maddux while pitching in the spacious Dodger Stadium, or letting go of the reigns on 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw, a southpaw with possibly the best stuff of anyone on the staff.

All things considered on paper, the Phillies and Dodgers are two fairly even teams that may stretch this series to seven games. I like the Dodger's starting pitching better than the Phillies and even with Brad Lidge, I give the bullpen nod to the Dodgers as well due to the depth. Phillies get the edge when it comes to the lineups, but that is assuming Chase Utley and Ryan Howard join the party. The Dodgers still possess an air of unknown because we are not sure if they youngsters can continue to sustain such a high level play as the pressure mounts and they creep closer to a World Series championship. But if Manny continues to treat the clubhouse like a hometown carnival, the young guys should be loose and their talent should come to the surface. Due to the potentially long-awaited reward for both clubs, this series could turn out to be an instant classic.

Prediction: Dodgers in 6

Rays, Red Sox come from opposite corners to fight in the same ring

2008-10-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

One team was a popular favorite, the other team was a popular dog. One team has years of tradition and record books, the other team has merely a decade of misery and empty crowds. One team has been home to Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, et al. The other team has Gerald Williams to go along with their one shining moment -- the 3,000 hit at the very end of Wade Boggs' career.

So how in the world are the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays meeting up in the ALCS beginning Friday at Tropicana Field? It's not as crazy as it seems. The Red Sox were picked by many this spring to repeat as World Champions, barring any catastrophic injuries to key players. Their rotation was to be loaded again, their lineup was to be just as devastating, and the bullpen was expected to dominate the late innings. What was there not to like?

The Rays, on the other hand, weren't expected to climb out of the AL East cellar until 2009, at least. We saw some glimpses from Tampa last year, and we know very well about the deep pools of prospects that have been brewing at different levels in the minor leagues. Their rotation was expected to have talented arms, but unproven arms. Their lineup was going to have talented athletes, but inexperienced ballplayers. And their bullpen? Well, we didn't know much at all about that. A fourth place finish would have been a reasonable finish for this club.

For Boston, Curt Schilling signed a contract extension and then learned that he needed shoulder surgery. David Ortiz missed significant time with a wrist injury, J.D. Drew has been out for much of the stretch drive with back problems, 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell is limited in his lateral movement due to a hip ailment that will require off season surgery, and the bullpen was relegated to young kids in big roles. The only sure thing soon became Jonathan Papelbon after Josh Beckett had a Texas-sized scare when he had to go visit Dr. James Andrews in Alabama to get an accurate diagnosis on his elbow. And, oh, lets not forget the Bay-for-Manny swap that led arguably Boston's most influential player out of town.

But here we are, the Red Sox four wins away from going back-to-back and winning third championship in five years, and the foundation is in place. Jon Lester has emerged as an elite pitcher, a fearless kid who is so in tune with himself that he forgets there is even a spotlight that comes with October baseball games at Fenway Park. Josh Beckett battled through one start after a strained oblique and he will go in Game 2 or 3. We should expect the old October Beckett to come out now. Jason Bay has surprised the city with his consistent performance and workman-like approach, a refreshment to the recess-mentality that often accompanied No. 24 in left field. And then there's the Pedroia-Youkilis tandem that grinds at-bats into piles of saw dust and spits on enough balls out of the strike zone as if they are marking home plate as theirs.

The Rays are actually not the overnight sensation that they seem to be. Manager Joe Maddon begun his remaking of this franchise when he took over in 2006, and the organization has done a tremendous job focusing on drafting loads of premium talent and developing their own prospects. General Manager Andrew Friedman made a bold move last winter, trading former number one pick Delmon Young, a five-tool outfielder with a sky-scraper ceiling, to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett. Garza has stepped right into the third spot in the rotation with his electric fast ball-slider combo and has become another shut down arm. Bartlett is a scrappy hitter at the bottom of the order and has been such a tremendous glove at shortstop that the local beat writers voted him the MVP of the team.

But it was the underlying significance of this trade that really began to mold this team. Young is a great talent, but he didn't fit the mold mentally of the type of player that Maddon and the front office wanted to build this organization around. Many people thought he carried himself too much like a superstar when he hasn't even established himself yet in the big leagues. On the contrary, the people in Minnesota rave about the kid and his work ethic and his desire to be a great ballplayer. But for whatever reason, it didn't work out in Tampa.

But by bringing in Garza and Bartlett and shipping out Young, the Rays became more consistent in their attitude and their mentality towards competing. They began to assemble young, hungry talent that plays the game hard without fear. Maddon doesn't mind if his team makes mistakes. He wants his prodigies to play hard, play aggressive, and approach the game with confidence. That attitude has engulfed this entire ball club and we could see this clubhouse come together.

The starting rotation is bolstered by fierce competitors who are not going to back down from the Red Sox. James Shields, Scott Kazmir, and Matt Garza will likely go in that order with Andy Sonnastine pitching Game 4. The bullpen has discovered gems in the ultra-intense Grant Balfour and left hander JP Howell. Chad Bradford will be in the ball game to induce late-inning ground balls.

The lineup can do it all. Carl Crawford is still a dynamic player who utilizes his speed to disrupt the opposing pitcher, and we got a glimpse of what BJ Upton can do against the White Sox with his power-speed combo. Evan Longoria has taken the entire American League by surprise since he came up in April, and he will play a pivotal role in the middle of Tampa's order. The interesting thing about Longoria is that his elder teammates and his manager cannot say enough about how he is approaching his first season and first October as a rookie. The biggest compliment for this kid is simply how much he actually enjoys the moment, and that is a big step in becoming a great post season player. Derek Jeter can attest to that.

Carlos Pena is the left handed power threat in the middle of the order and is beginning to make a name for himself on a national level. And lets not forget about All-Star catcher Dionner Navarro who has come on as a solid big league catcher after struggling with his short stint with the Dodgers. Navarro is a great leader of the pitching staff and he has become a solid hitter who will stroke balls the other way to drive in runners. I was amazed by his poise and confidence in the ALDS.

The most intriguing part of this series is the fear-factor, and we know the Rays are not going to be playing with any of that. Remember, part of the Rays resurgence is their commitment to becoming an American League threat and not living as punching dummies from April through September. An organizational wide effort, beginning with Joe Maddon, took place to overhaul the roster and the losing mentality and decide that the Rays were going to win. Period. They are no longer going to be intimidated and they are no longer going to be dictated by their opponent. So what did they do? They fought.

It began in spring training with a brawl with the Yankees. Shelley Duncan came in hard and stuck his spikes into the groin of Akinori Iwamura and before he knew it, Johnny Gomes came flying in from right field swinging like Kimbo Slice. The benches emptied and the brawl was on. And what was beautiful about the moment was that Gomes didn't offer any excuses or any apologies after the game. He stated clearly that the Rays are tired of being pushed around and that was going to end right there on that Florida spring training field. The Rays were going to back their teammates even if that meant suspension. It didn't matter.

I wrote at that exact time that we would look back and recognize that day as the turning point of this franchise because it symbolized a change in attitude, and that was the most important thing. I truly believed then, and am a bigger believer now, that when the Rays decided they had had enough beatings, they would start to emerge as a contending club. And that is exactly what happened. They carried that passion and intensity right over into the regular season and haven't looked back since.

The bad blood between the Rays and Red Sox began during a May ball game at Fenway Park. The night before, Coco Crisp slid late and hard and sure seemed like he was going after Iwamura during a double play. Whether it was a dirty play or not is open for discussion, but the fact that Crisp slid so late, and to the left of the bag, right at Iwamura, infuriated manager Joe Maddon and the rest of the Rays. Something had to be done. The Yankees found out this isn't the losing Rays anymore; now it was Boston's turn.

The next day, Coco Crisp came up to the plate, and James Shields dotted him with a fast ball and Crisp charged the mound, beginning Phase II of the Rays' team-wide statement. Shields didn't back away and slap like most pitchers; he met Crisp half way and took the best swing a pitcher has taken at a head since Nolan Ryan welcomed Robin Ventura to the mound. Now whether that is a good idea or not to have a key pitcher looking to dismantle a nose with his pitching hand is another issue, but the statement was made. The whole Rays team was on the field in seconds and they all went after Crisp. This wasn't Shields vs. Crisp. This was Tampa Bay Rays vs. Crisp. That told us something right there; this ball club had come together.

This ALCS is so compelling because not only are division rivals with history coming together, but these games are the epitome of a clash of identities. The Red sox have all of the lore and experience on their side, and the Rays have the ten years of anger and frustration rolled into one big chip resting on their shoulders. Both clubs understand that a World Series birth is at stake, so we shouldn't see any cheap shots or any brawls. But make no mistake, there will come a point where one team will be the intimidator and the other club will respond. One knock down pitch will deserve another. Of course, words and stare downs and past playoff victories mean nothing when Game 1 comes along on Friday and the home plate umpire rolls the ball out to the mound. At that time, it is game on, and let the most confident group prevail.

Prediction: Rays in 7.

Monday afternoon notes

2008-10-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

* The Angels and Red Sox battled deep into the night Sunday evening, and with Game 3 of that series, we got see everything good and everything bad about the playoffs. The environment was the best baseball has to offer. An autumn chill collapsed over Fenway Park as a late-night fog rolled in and the fans were bundled up in early winter layers and the players could see their breath two feet in front of them. Fenway was packed to the brim, of course, and the fans were on their feet for most of the ball game, as if they were trying to throw the pitch or swing the bat themselves. The energy and electricity is palpable in the post season, a sixth sense that we cannot appreciate until championships are on the line.

In the Angels 5-4 victory that last 12 innings last night, we got so see some great pitching and some great competition. Joe Saunders did a heck of a job and his box score line has a blemish because of miscommunication in on a second-inning pop up in shallow center field that allowed three runs to score. Saunders battled the strike zone, the patience of the Red Sox, and his defense to keep his team in the game.

What Boston was going to get from Josh Beckett nobody really knew. Coming off of a strained oblique muscle, it had been nearly two weeks since Beckett last pitched. If it were anybody else, I would have wondered why they were even pitching, or I would have had low expectations where you simply hope for the best. But because of what Beckett has done in the post season in his young career -- for the 2003 Marlins and 2007 Red Sox -- and what he has meant to the Boston Red Sox organization and the city, I was just waiting for another lights out performance. I was waiting for Beckett to simply rise to the occasion and spin one-run ball over seven innings with nine strikeouts and then be promptly doused with champagne two innings later.

No, it didn't quite happen like that, but we still got to enjoy watching him compete and watching him battle the rust and continue to execute pitches on the grandest stage. The playoffs is not about one-man shows. October is about each guy giving what he can give to the team each night, and then hoping that all of those collective efforts are good enough to win. Beckett gave what he could give over five innings on Sunday, and although those four runs will be labeled as his "worst" post season start, he kept his team in the game and the Red Sox had multiple chances to win.

One of the best parts of the playoffs is that we get to see unlikely heroes. Mike Napoli had three hits in Game 3 -- his first hits of the series -- and two of those were home runs, the first home runs of the series for the Angels. Eric Aybar had gone hitless until the top of the 12th inning last night when he singled in the go-ahead run for the Angels, the eventual game winning run. We got to see Jered Weaver pitch two innings out of the bullpen -- his first career relief appearance -- and earn the win after the Mike Scioscia had already emptied out all of his experienced bullpen arms.

The one glaring downfall of October baseball is the length of the games. Game 3 between the Angels and Red Sox lasted over five hours, and that is not because they played 12 innings. Jason Varitek and Mike Napoli combined may have set a modern day record for most trips to the mound to meet with the pitching in one game. Seemingly every other pitch with a runner on base the catcher would go out to the mound to talk pitch sequence, the signs, or anything else, and the game lags and lags. There isn't anything we can really do about this -- unless Major League Baseball decides it wants to create a rule, which is not a bad idea -- but I think part of the reason why some teams feel the pressure of the post season and lock up a little is because of details like this.

Baseball is a game of details and a game of routines. Catchers don't visit the pitching mound five times an inning during the regular season. Are those runs in the regular season less important than the ones in the playoffs? No they are not. The game is simply magnified in October and the players feel that. I can't believe that the pitchers and catchers and middle infielders forget the signs once the regular season ends. They have been doing the same thing since March. They just don't want to make a mistake in the post season like mixing up the signs because they know it will be talked about in all of the papers and that it could prove critical in the outcome of the series. I get that, but at some point the players need to settle on the signs, look in for the pitch, and deliver the baseball. If they do that, the game will continue to flow and the players on the field won't be strapped down by the hiccups in the rhythm of the game this time of year.

* The NLCS is set with the Los Angeles Dodgers visiting the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday to begin the best-of-seven series with the winner representing the National League in the World Series. The Phillies locked their spot with a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at Miller Park, taking the series in four games. It was really a one-sided series, with a couple of Brewer side plots along the way. But I'm not sure who figured the Brewers would have much in the tank after battling down to the final day with the Mets for the NL wild card.

Brad Lidge is still perfect in save opportunities this year, Cole Hamels is fresh and ready to face the Dodgers in Game 1, Jimmy Rollins is back to the pest that he is swinging the bat well, Pat Burrell launched two home runs in Game 4 on Sunday, and all of this happened with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley having quiet series. Game 4 was a dangerous game for the Phillies. Why? If they failed to take care of the Brewers when they did, they would have been heading back home for a Game 5 with momentum on the Brewers side and they would have had to face a fresh CC Sabathia with their season on the line. A fresh Cole Hamels would have countered Sabathia in what would have been one of the best games of the year, but you never want to mess with a big-game horse in a one-game playoff. That's playing fire and the Phillies knew they had to clinch it in Milwaukee. The Brewers' run to the post season was a joy to watch, but teams can only play so many do-or-die games in a row before coming up short.

Angels face reality check as Boston ices the bubbly

2008-10-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

It wasn't supposed to happen like this, not one bit of it. The Angels secured their post season destiny so long ago that it is hard to remember if that clincher was for 2007 or 2008. Did their clinching of the AL West come before spring training? Hard to tell. The Angels accomplished a lot of things this season: best record in baseball, 100 wins for the first time in franchise history, their closer set the single-season save record, two unexpected heroes of the starting rotation make the All-Star team, etc. And yet all of those things would be traded now for three measly wins against a Boston Red Sox team so tough I am slightly expecting Kevin Youkilis to walk up to the plate one of these days and knock a line drive into left field with the back of his palm.

It was always a question of whether or not the Angels would be ready for this series, given the fact that they haven't played many meaningful baseball games since the very first days of September. Could clinching so early actually be a bad thing for the Angels, leaving them with so much time to rest their competitive edge?

"What, are we supposed to try to lose and not clinch early? That's freakin' stupid," Torii Hunter said when asked that exact question recently. And I agree with him. I cannot write that the Angels would have rather won their division by three games and done it in the final weekend of the regular season. The point is to win baseball games -- every one of them if you can -- and to give yourself such a cushion that you can escape to Cabo San Lucas for a couple weekends while everyone else is pulling hair and grinding teeth and draining their pitching staffs with play-in games. But it does make you wonder.

But the Myth of the Early Clinch is about as relevant as the change up Francisco Rodriguez hung to J.D. Drew in the top of ninth inning Friday evening, the pitch that was blasted just over the edge of the high wall in right center field to give the Red Sox a 7-5 lead and hand the Angels a 2-0 hole to enjoy as they hop on their team charter Saturday morning and head for Massachusetts. Both of them are done and done, and now it comes to simply getting dirty if you are the Angels.

There are no excuses in sports. Why? Because the rest of the real world is filled with excuses. But the baseball diamond is a place of hope and passion and childish joy, and that needs to be put at the forefront of this series heading to a hostile Fenway Park for the two biggest games of the season. Now isn't the time to not hit or not throw quality pitches or not play sound defense. There are plenty of reasons to explain why the Angels haven't played well against the Red Sox, but that rambling is meaningless.

It's not as if this team has forgotten to play the game -- you don't win 100 games and then simply choke it away in the playoffs. I don't believe in that and I don't believe that the Red Sox "have their number". It's just baseball. Good performances are countered with better performances and quality at-bats are countered with even better pitches. Game 2 was not like Game 1 on Wednesday. Game 1 was Jon Lester's night, and that was that. There was nothing Mark Teixeira, Mike Scioscia, or the Rally Monkey were going to do about it. What makes playoff baseball so special is that there is always that one indefensible performance than can carry a team. And that is a dominant pitcher. Basketball and football rely on too many other people to come together to win a game. In baseball, like we saw with Lester, one guy can take the ball and take the game at the same time.

The Angels had numerous chances on Friday night against Daisuke Matsuzaka, and we knew that was going to be the case. Matsuzaka put up great numbers this season, but simply by the nature of how he pitches, we knew the Angels would have runners on base and would have chances to take the ball game. And they did. They just didn't come through enough times. Matsuzaka barely made it through five innings, throwing 108 pitches while walking 3 and allowing 3 runs. The Angels waited him out and then pounced on the bullpen.

The problems have been relatively the same for this club. The Angels have failed to come up with the big hits with runners in scoring position, and they have been limited to singles -- Chone Figgin's triple in the eighth inning of Friday's ball game was their first extra-base hit of the series. Jason Bay himself has more home runs than the whole Angles team has extra-base hits. There lies the story.

But we also cannot complain about not finding the gaps or finding the bleachers, because those things are out of the players' control. The Angels have had plenty of hits in the first two games, they just haven't gone anywhere. But it's the same old criticism -- when you don't hit, you are crucified for it. When you do hit, your hits aren't good enough. The Angels will never be able to fully quiet all of the doubters and quiet the notions that they can't find a way to beat the Red Sox or get the most out of their talent. They are a good team in a weak division according to many people. But the Angels need not worry about those concerns, especially when their backs are against the wall. Here's what the Angels should look at heading into Game 3:

Mark Teixeira has been on fire this series, hitting .714 with a .667 OBP and 3 runs scored. And those numbers aren't some fluky post season success. Teixeira sported a .333/.417/.631 line with 5 homers and 15 runs scored in September. Nobody is getting him out right now.
The nonexistent Vladimir Guerrero in the playoffs? Not this year. Vlad is Teixeira's partner in crime, hitting .625 against Red Sox pitching this series.
The Angels pitching staff as a whole has a 3.60 ERA against Boston this season, and Joe Saunders, the Angels Game 3 starter, has a 3.38 ERA against the Red Sox in almost 19 innings.
Josh Beckett is making his post season debut Sunday night in Game 3 coming off a strained oblique muscle. Beckett has a surprising 5.65 ERA at Fenway Park this season and a 7.42 ERA against the Angels in 2008.

The Angels know it is not going to be easy going to Boston and having to win two games to bring this series back to Anaheim. Winning in Fenway Park in the post season is nothing short of asking the DMV to operate in an efficient manner. It takes a lot to happen. We get that. But that still should not deter the fact that this Angels club is a couple homers away from rolling. Their big boppers in the middle of the order have been doing the job. The problem is that the guys at the top -- Chone Figgins and Eric Aybar -- haven't been getting on base enough, and that is where the troubles come in. John Lackey pitched well enough to win in Game 1 and Ervin Santana hung around long enough to get to the back end of the bullpen instead of having to summon a long reliever.

But reality is reality. This is a world of second-guessers and sports is no different. Every decision, every at-bat, and every pitch is going to be broken down and relived the morning after the damage is done. If the Angels are worried about living up to the expectations of the fans or the expectations of the media, then they have already lost. They need to worry about living up to the expectations of themselves, and then they will find a way to come out and play the game hard and rise to the occasion.

This is a hole, but how many three game winning streaks did the Angels have this season? Sixteen. Sixteen times this same team won three or more games in a row. And it can't be done again? Not buying that. Ironically, the Angels are playing a team that knows all about overcoming odds and digging out of holes. Mike Scioscia is managing against a man that led the 2004 Red Sox back from a 3-0 deficit against the hated Yankees. That's a 3-0 hole, against the Yankees, in The House That Ruth Built, the Curse Of The Bambino still intact, Project Panic still engulfing Boston. That Boston club did something so amazing that if this were to be pulled off by the Angels, it would be exciting and it would be an accomplishment, but it would only be a neat little trick compared to what the Red Sox did.

If the Red Sox didn't believe in themselves, if they didn't continue to come to the ballpark and crank up the clubhouse music, how would they ever pull off four straight victories of that magnitude on that stage in that setting with their suffocating fans collapsing from hyperventilation on every pitch? They wouldn't have. But they did because they stuck to their identity and played their game and believed in each other. That's what the Angels need to do now and if anyone says they can't do it, they ought to kick them out of the clubhouse and tell them not to come back.

The Red Sox are sitting pretty. They have a cushion and they have arguably the best big game picher in Josh Beckett on the mound Sunday evening. It is going to be quite a game because we know Beckett, mysteriously strained oblique and all, is going to show up for the bright lights and the October glory and pitch a brilliant game. It is up for Joe Saunders to match him and for the Angels hitters to get back to their grinding style. The series and their World Series aspirations are still there for the taking, one game at a time. But "take it" is exactly what the Angels are going to have to do. The Red Sox aren't going to get comfortable and fumble away wins. They are too good, too experienced, too humble, too tough. Eighteen singles would look just fine for the Angels Sunday evening. October isn't about the box score nor the headlines. Can you play with confidence and believe in a team concept under the greatest pressure baseball can offer? Boston has showed us how it is done. It's time for the Angels to take that championship step.

Thursday morning notes

2008-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

* The 2008 playoffs and all their glory were kicked off with everything we could have hoped for in playoff baseball: a dominant pitching performance. Teams prove time and again that pitching is what carries any team the World Series and, more important, a championship. And with that said, did Cole Hamels ever show up in a big way for the Philadelphia Phillies Thursday afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers in front of an ecstatic Citizens Bank Ballpark. Hamels, only 24 years old, pitched like a post season veteran going 8 innings and only allowing 2 hits with 9 strike outs.

This was the most dominant I have seen Hamels in his career, and it had everything to do with his signature change up. Hamels had a little bit more velocity than he usually does -- he worked about 92-94 -- to go along with a yo-yo at 81-83 mph. The action and late movement on that pitch is ridiculously good that many hitters probably know it is coming and they still can't do anything with it. The key to the deception to that pitch is that Hamels throws it exactly like he throws his fast ball; the only thing that changes is the grip of the pitch.

I was interested to see how the Brewers were going to come out, especially not having Sabathia going in Game 1 and after the emotional roller coaster that was their September. It wouldn't have been a big surprise to see a bit of a let down or some nerves. But surprisingly, the Brewers came ready to play and rookie Yovani Gallardo hung in and battled despite being let down by his defense. Gallardo only went four innings and allowed three unearned runs, but the righty's early exit had much to do with his five walks.

But that's the story of this Milwaukee club when they get beyond Sabathia. They aren't going to get seven stellar innings from someone else. They are going to have to patch it together -- when one guy is tired and no longer effective, hand off the baton and the next guy runs with it as long as he can. That's how they are going to have a chance in this series: pitching by committee.

Chase Utley did the damage for the Phillies, driving in two runs in the third inning on a double to center field and Hamels took it the rest way before giving way to Brad Lidge in the ninth inning. Lidge has been perfect in save opportunities this season, but it is only fitting that a couple runners are on base in the post season. Yes it's hectic, yes it's sickening, the playoffs are all of those things. But the fact of the matter is, none of it matters. The series tally is the only thing that counts and right now it reads: Phillies 1, Brewers 0. Cole Hamels got it done.

* The second game of the day opened up what I believe may be the best series of the entire post season, and thats Cubs-Dodgers. It wasn't as sharp as I thought it was going to be, but that happens sometimes in the first game of the post season. There are plenty of nerves to go around, let alone the skepticism in Chicago. Ryan Dempster rarely lost at home in the regular season but he couldn't pitch quite as good Wednesday night, walking 7 and allowing 4 runs in 4 2.3 innings.

Despite all of the command issues, Dempster almost got through five innings unscathed. With the bases loaded and James Loney at the plate, Dempster jumped ahead quickly 0-2. After wasting a pitch high and Loney fouling off a change up in the dirt, Dempster hung a 1-2 change up over the plate that Loney stroked, getting it up in the jet stream and carrying it out to center field for a grand slam to put the Dodgers ahead 4-2. That was the ball game right there. The Dodgers had a ton of base runners due to all of the walks, but they couldn't make Dempster pay for the first four frames. That fifth inning was the turning point. If the Dodgers didn't get him there, the Cubs would have had momentum, knowing they got away with murder. But, luckily for the Dodgers, Loney provided the big blow to give Derek Lowe something to work with.

Lowe was solid, only giving up two runs over six strong innings. With a 5-2 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh, there wasn't any reason to send Lowe back out considering the strength of the Dodgers bullpen and the fact that Torre may opt to bring Lowe back on short rest for Game 4. And, honestly, Lowe's performance could have been better. He was squeezed a bit by home plate umpire Dale Scott, and the two runs he gave up were on Mark DeRosa's wind-aided home run, blown straight out down the right field line. On a normal day, that's a routine out. But that's baseball.

The Cubs need to come back in Game 2 and get a strong performance from Carlos Zambrano and everything will be fine heading to Los Angeles this weekend. The media is going to write about Bartman and black cats and billy goats and 100 hundred years and so on. The Cubs need to crank up the music in their clubhouse and let loose when that happens. They are too good of a team, they accomplished too much this season, to get caught up in all of that talk. They were just beat in Game 1. But good thing for them, it's Game 1. Forget it, move on, come to the ballpark hungry today. That's what the mood should be like at Wrigley. Panic helps nobody.

* When Josh Beckett was pushed back to start Game 3 at Fenway Park instead of Game 1, all of Boston might have inhaled at the same time, failing to breath again until Beckett's side session today. But when Jon Lester was named the Game 1 starter, I really didn't feel like that was much of a downgrade. If any at all. We all know Beckett's status as King of the Post Season, but Lester is a man of his own who has been taking huge steps towards becoming one of baseball's best pitchers.

Lester knows pressure and he certainly understands how to battle adversity. It wasn't much more than a year ago that Lester was battling cancer, undergoing chemotherapy sessions instead of putting on a Boston Red Sox uniform and pitching. The big, powerful frame that was built to make him a New England god was suddenly failing him, turning him into a frail hospital patient. Yeah, that may have been the facts, but it wasn't how Lester looked at it.

The kid knew he was going to come back from the cancer, he knew he was going to make a return to baseball, and he knew he was going to be good. End of story. Lester returned last season to Fenway Park to a rousing ovation, his arrival to the ballpark once again was a feat in itself. That wasn't enough for the kid. Lester was nails down the stretch, and earned enough trust from manager Terry Francona that he was given the ball in Game 4 of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies. All he did was hang zeros until the Red Sox were bouncing on the mound and celebrating their second world championship in the last four seasons. Lester instantly became one of the best stories sports has seen.

It was no surprise that Jon Lester walked onto the Angel Stadium mound last night and looked as if he was pitching at home for seven innings. He didn't allow an earned run and struck out seven to cap off his night of work. He wasn't flustered, he never wavered, he simply looked confident in his craft. If you took the crowd and the stadium out of it and simply looked at the two pitchers on the mound, you would have thought that Lester was the hometown favorite and John Lackey was hearing the jeers from the crowd. As good as Beckett is and as impressive as his post season performances have been, Lester is becoming co-ace of the staff with Beckett. Now the world is getting to see why the Red Sox didn't want to include Lester in a trade for Johan Santana last winter.

For the Angels, it took one night to bring back the horrid memories of absent offenses and feeble bats. Sure, the Angels haven't played pressure-pact baseball in almost a month and they looked like it Wednesday night against the Red Sox. They didn't come close to breaking out with the bats -- they didn't manage even one extra-base hit on the night. But, much like the Cubs faithful, lets not jump to conclusions and wonder if the Angels can still score runs. They have always been built on pitching a defense and the reason why the have been bounced early in the playoffs since their 2002 world championship is because of their inability to produce at the plate.

But there is a reason why there is a saying in baseball along the lines of "running into a buzz saw." Jon Lester was a buzz saw last night for the Red Sox. When pitchers pitch like that, they are going to carve up any lineup. They are going to dominate any team, and there isn't much you are going to do about it. You shower off, grab some dinner, and go home. The only thing that you can hope for is that you don't see three of those performances in the five-game series. If you do, you are going home. That's baseball and that is how the playoffs works. Winning teams always have dominant pitching or pitchers who are at least capable of dominating. No team is going to bang out 8 runs a game, especially in the playoffs.

The Angles should thrive in Game 2 and head to Boston with the series tied at 1 apiece. The Angels have Ervin Santana on the mound who is a complete game shutout waiting to happen. Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the hill for Boston and has put up great numbers this season, although he tends to work behind in the count and walk a lot of hitters. The walks and high pitch counts is what the Angels should be excited about; they are a team of mostly patient hitters who get on base and run. Mike Scioscia and his staff preach an aggressive style, and Chone Figgins and Eric Aybar should be digging in when they get down to first base. If Matsuzaka can throw strikes, he will be very tough to beat given his raw stuff, which is superb. This will be a battle of conflicting styles, and the Angels should have the upper hand with a chance to even the series.

What we know about the playoffs

2008-09-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Recapping the best weekend of the season...

* Every great performance deserves another, I suppose, and that was exactly what we enjoyed from the hulking left arm of CC Sabathia on Sunday, Game 162 for his Milwaukee Brewers. Sabathia, making his third straight start on three days rest, pitched a complete game, beating the Chicago Cubs 3-1, and securing the National League wild card for the Brewers. Ryan Braun hit a big three-run home run to put the Brewers up in the eighth inning, and CC handled the rest.

The Brewers had to wait about a half hour after beating the Cubs to find out whether or not they would be playing a one-game playoff on Monday against the New York Mets to determine the wild card winner. Thanks to the Florida Marlins, and the Mets bullpen, that one-game playoff won't be necessary as the Mets' season was effectively ended with a 4-2 defeat to Florida. The problems are vast for the Mets, but when it came down to it, the fact is that the Mets needed Johan Santana to pitch every day in order to win, and that's obviously not possible. I'm sure they will be big players in the free agent market this winter, and they will have another crack at it heading into their new Citi Field next season.

With the Mets loss posted in Miller Park, the crowd erupted into a frenzy while the players danced around in cool, champagne-drenched nostalgia. Milwaukee has been starved for a winner, and they finally have a club they can follow to the ballpark and cheer for as they head into the NLDS. The Brewers will play the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS starting Wednesday, and this is where they will be put to the test. We know there is much euphoria surrounding greater Milwaukee today, but the Brewers are going to need a complete team effort to beat the Phillies.

The problem for the Brewers is much like the problem for the Mets: CC Sabathia is followed by Anybody's Guess. Sabathia will be pitching on three days rest again on Thursday in Game 2, meaning manager Dale Sveum is going to have to piece together a rotation around him. Ben Sheets is done for the season and will have to have his elbow looked at to determine if he needs off-season surgery. Dave Bush is a candidate to start Game 1, and so is young righty Yovani Gallardo. The bullpen is a current work in progress, but Seth McClung turned in quite an impressive performance on Friday against the Cubs, and he figures to be the rock in the late innings.

The Phillies, however, are lined up perfectly heading into the playoffs. They have their ace, Cole Hamels, going in Game 1 with Brett Myers backing him up in Game 2, not to mention one of the best closers in baseball in Brad Lidge pitching better than ever. Chase Utley is going to play like one of the best middle infielders in baseball, Jimmy Rollins is going to be flying all over the diamond and burning around the bases, and Ryan Howard has reappeared as the elite power hitter that he is. There is a lot of sock in that lineup to go along with a solid pitching staff, and we all know Citizen's Bank Park is going to be rocking on Wednesday -- white towels and all.

Prediction: Phillies in 4

* With the Brewers clinching the wild card, they are not eligible to play the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs because both teams come from the same division in the National League. Due to that little nugget, we are treated to an early post season gem when the Los Angeles Dodgers go to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs on Wednesday. The Cubs wrapped up the NL Central more than a week ago, and the Dodgers took care of the NL West before heading up to San Francisco for the final series of the regular season this past weekend. With both teams having time to rest, both clubs have had the opportunity to line up their starting rotations for the playoffs.

The Dodgers will send Derek Lowe to the mound in Game 1 against Chicago's Ryan Dempster. Dempster is 14-3 with a 2.86 ERA at Wrigley Field this year, so he is lined up not only for Game 1, but for Game 5 at Wrigley Field if necessary. Lowe has been arguably the hottest pitcher in baseball in the last month and Wrigley Field is perfect for his style of pitching. Ground ball after ground ball will die in that thick infield grass at the Friendly Confines.

This may be the best series we see in the entire post season if for nothing more than the depth of both organizations. After Dempster, the Cubs have Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and Ted Lilly lined up. No starter, except for Demspter who would be pitching on regular rest in Game 5, is going to be asked to come back on short rest or pitch out of the bullpen. This should be liberating to the starters as they know they can go out for 120-130 pitches and eat up as many outs as possible and give it all they have, knowing they won't be asked to come back until the next round.

The Dodgers back up Lowe with Chad Billingsley, who has been as impressive as most pitchers this season, and then will go with Huroki Kuroda as the third starter who will attack the Cubs with a power sinker. If Joe Torre doesn't want to bring Lowe back on short rest for Game 4, he can send Greg Maddux to the mound to face Lilly. Pretty even match-up. If I'm the Dodgers, I like my chances. If I'm the Cubs, I like my chances.

The wild card of this series is the youth in the Dodgers' lineup. We know the Cubs are going to score runs and we know Manny Ramirez is going to hit -- if he is pitched to. If Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp and James Loney can produce in the middle of that order, then the Dodgers will have a real chance of knocking off Chicago. Both bullpens are strong points for both clubs, so we should see a lot of great match-ups in the late innings with runners on base. This is going to be fun.

Prediction: Cubs in 5

* If you want two powerhouses right off the bat, we have them out west in the ALDS. The Red Sox will visit the Angels in the first round and the Angels have home field advantage throughout the post season. We found out yesterday that Josh Beckett has been pushed back to start Game 3 in Boston instead of Game 1 in Anaheim because of a strained side he suffered in his bullpen session. Any and all news makes fan bases quiver this time of the year, but I don't think there is really anything to worry about.

Beckett will be fine and I fully expect to see him at his best in Game 3. That leaves us with an intriguing match-up in Game 1 with John Lackey going against Jon Lester. Lester has come on this season as one of the premier left handers in baseball, and I am as excited as anybody to watch this kid take off over the next few seasons. I really believe he is going to win a Cy Young and will be among the Top 5 pitchers in all of baseball at some point soon. But with the bright lights and big stage, I can't bet against John Lackey.

The Angels will send Ervin Santana in Game 2 and Joe Saunders in Game 3 after Lackey. Daisuke Matsuzaka will go in Game 2 for the Red Sox and Beckett in Game 3. I wish Mike Scioscia put Saunders in between Lackey and Santana to stagger the right handers, but to also fulfill my post season wish of a Santana-Beckett match-up in Game 3 in the hostile house that is Fenway Park in Boston. Talk about potential pitching dominance. Wow.

Both offenses are great, but I see the Angels being more conducive to playing in both ballparks. Mark Teixeira needs to continue to be the monster he has been since coming over from the Atlanta Braves at the Trade Deadline and Vladimir Guerrero needs to provide him with some protection. The Angels are such a scrappy bunch than you can never count them out due to their ability to wear down starting pitchers and then feast on the underbelly of bullpens.

The Red we know can score runs. But I am curious as to see how Jason Bay is going to hit away from the Green Monster and what happens when David Ortiz doesn't get many good pitches to hit. Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are MVP candidates, so they will have to continue to produce at a high level for the Red Sox to keep pace. With all of that said, and we can probably call the rotations and lineups equal, the Angels have the advantage in the bullpen.

Yes, Jonathan Papelbon is a beast. I wouldn't want to face him in the ninth inning. Justin Masterson has stepped up down the stretch to become a key set-up guy for Terry Francona who can roll over ground balls for innings at a time. But I wouldn't call Masterson a sure thing. He is a rookie, mind you, and there certainly will be an adjustment to the bigger stage. Not that the post season attention will scare the kid. Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, and Hideki Okajima follow the first two.

Frankie Rodriguez nails down the back of the bullpen for the Angels; say what you want about him, but Rodriguez finds a way to rise to the occasion. What makes the Angels so strong is the depth of the bullpen. Scot Shields can still be as good a set-up man as anyone in baseball, and Jose Arredondo has been electric in his rookie season. Darren Oliver is just as good as Okajima as a lefty specialist, and he has the ability to pitch more than one inning. Those three guys right there should be enough, after the starter does his job, to get the ball to Frankie.

Prediction: Angels in 4

* The Tampa Bay Rays still await their first-round opponent, and it is possible that they may not know who it is until as late as Tuesday. The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins both had let downs this past weekend after a highly emotional three-game series between the two clubs in Minnesota earlier in the week. The Twins swept the White Sox to take control of the AL Central, only to drop 2 0f 3 at home to the Kansas City Royals to finish the regular season. After being swept by the Twins, the White Sox went home and lost the first two games to the Cleveland Indians, failing to take advantage of Minnesota's losses. After losing five straight, the White Sox beat Cleveland on Sunday, leaving us exactly where we were after they played the Twins.

So after all of that, the Detroit Tigers are forced to fly to Chicago to play a make-up game when they would rather go home for the winter and forget about the expectations that they didn't live up to. If the White Sox lose, the Twins are the AL Central champs and will face Tampa Bay. If Chicago wins, the Twins will travel to U.S. Celluar Field on Tuesday for a one-game playoff to determine the division winner.

Lucky for us, we don't need to know the opponent in order to evaluate this series. The Rays have been baseball's best story, and they rode that momentum to the AL East title. They are stacked with high-powered arms. Whoever they face will likely see James Shields in Game 1, Scott Kazmir in Game 2, and Matt Garza in Game 3. If manager Joe Maddon wants to use a four-man rotation, he has power-right hander Edwin Jackson to turn to in Game 4.

The Rays bullpen was already strong to begin with, but it is even better now thanks to the September call-ups of David Price and Jeff Niemann. Both of these kids are fearless and have big fast balls, making them perfect fits for the late innings of a playoff game. Look for Evan Longoria to continue his Rookie Of the Year season in the playoffs, and Carlos Pena is going to finally garner some attention as one of the most underrated young first basemen in the game. Whether it's the Twins or the White Sox, I'm afraid it doesn't much matter. The Rays have too much pitching.

Prediction: Rays sweep

Dodgers slide right into October

2008-09-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

It wasn't the way they had planned it and it surely wasn't suspenseful, but at this time of the year, especially after all the Los Angeles Dodgers have been through in the tumultuous race that has been the NL West, any way will do. The Dodgers found themselves as National League West Champions Thursday before they even drove to the ballpark for their evening game against the San Diego Padres. With their magic number at 1, Los Angeles clinched the division after the Arizona Diamondbacks lost to the St. Louis Cardinals earlier in the day.

It's been a winding trail of a season for the Dodgers, with every surge seemingly being followed by a drought. The Dodgers didn't appear as if they were going to make it easy on themselves after losing 2 of 3 to the Giants last weekend, but thanks to Arizona completely folding and playing their way out of contention, all the Dodgers had to do was beat a horrid San Diego team twice. Luckily for the Dodgers, they have this thing wrapped up before heading to San Francisco for the three final games of the season beginning tomorrow night. As it turns out, if Tim Lincecum takes the mound on Sunday, he will be only pitching for a shot at the Cy Young award and not a shot at keeping San Francisco's hated rival out of the post season.

On a broader scale, it had been a disappointing season for the Dodgers considering their talent on paper and the expectations heading into the season. But with a playoff birth secured, all of that disappointment is dissolved and now it's simply time to play baseball and make some noise in the playoffs. It's funny how a trip to October can erase any previous ill feelings, even those that lingered three days ago. But that's what the Dodgers face now, much like the world champion St. Louis Cardinals of 2006. It doesn't matter how you get in, you just have to get there to get a shot.

The Dodgers came out of the gate hot in April, but the chances of being a premier team in the National League went down the drain as soon as Rafael Furcal injured his back and was lost for the remainder of the season. Furcal is back with the club now and is being evaluated in game situations to see if he can help the team at all in the playoffs. Remember, this was at the same time when most people were talking about how great a team the Diamondbacks were since they opened up the season beating everybody. Hey, we all fell for the D'back juice. How could you not? Brandon Webb looked incredible, the rest of the staff was better than anyone else, they were crushing the ball and playing good defense. They certainly appeared to be the team to beat in the National League. Funny how much things can change in five months of play.

The kids -- Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin -- were all supposed to step up and be big time contributors and Jeff Kent was supposed to be a big threat in the middle of the order and Brad Penny was supposed to anchor the staff and Takashi Saito was supposed to be a dominant closer once again, the list continues. A lot of those things did not happen. Penny has been troubled by arm problems and was finally put on the 60-day DL, making him inactive for post season play. Saito was shut down for much of the second half with elbow pain, making Jonathan Broxton the closer by default. Kent went down with an injured knee that required surgery, but he is back and may be able to add some value as a pinch hitter in the playoffs.

The young guys enjoyed a great learning experience this year, full of staggered playing time and daily big league struggles. But looking back, with all of the inconsistencies and frustrations, this has been a huge developmental year for all of them. Andre Ethier turned into a beast at the plate hitting .300 with 20 home runs, and that came with him splitting much of the first half with Juan Pierre and the Andruw Jones Experiment. If he was in right field from spring training like we thought he should be, he may have been a 30-homer threat with 110 RBI's, and this race would not have been close.

Matt Kemp learned to stop chasing breaking balls out of the strike zone, and he has developed into an elite power-speed threat. He has the makings of a superstar and can become a very special center fielder for the Dodgers. We all know these two guys have the swagger and the confidence to be big time big league players. The only thing they are lacking now is more at-bats. The more their name is on the lineup card, the better they will be.

For everything that was supposed to happen and didn't, the trading deadline brought God himself in Manny Ramirez. At least that's the way he is perceived in Los Angeles. Ramirez has been everything and more the Dodgers could have asked from one player as he has hit around .400 with 17 home runs with the Dodgers. In 50 games. Think about those numbers. He is the single biggest reason why the Dodgers are going to the post season and Arizona is going on fishing. Ramirez single handedly aided Ethier's resurgence as the youngster benefited from hitting in front of the perennial All-Star, regardless of Jeff Kent's take on that issue.

I guess the million dollar question is how much of this can be attributed to Joe Torre and his affect on this young ball club? Well, a lot, to be honest. Torre proved in New York that he is the master at running a clubhouse and keeping his players happy, or at least understanding, when they are not starting every night. He has the ability to paint a bigger picture for his clubs, which allows them to stay focused on winning ball games and forget about story lines and playing time and contracts. That is what he does best and he proved it once again with these Dodgers.

I'm sure it hasn't has been as easy as it has looked for Torre this season. There was surely a lot of agony over the failures of his club and the losing streaks and the embarrassing road trips against inferior opponents. But to Torre's credit, he has kept his ever-present even keel persona intact, and he has kept his young players coming to the ball park to work on a daily basis. You cannot help but feel some sense of gratification for Torre after how he was treated in New York.

I suppose 14 straight years of post season play and four World Championships isn't enough to gain enough respect to be able to determine your exit from one of baseball's grandest stages. Torre was made out to be the bad guy in New York, when in fact it was the Yankees lack of pitching why they were bombed by Detroit in the first round of the playoffs and why they aren't even going to get there this season. Then the Steinbrenner's embarrassed Torre by offering him an unassuming contract that undermined everything he had previously done for the organization. Torre had no choice but to leave.

Torre was too classy for that mess then, and he still is too classy for it now, apparently. Hank Steinbrenner's comments in the New York papers this week have made a mockery out of the Yankees and was a blatant jealous shot at Torre, even if Hank attempted to make it clear that he was only sounding off. I guess Hank will never be completely happy until Torre is sipping gin on some beach somewhere for the rest of his days.

But regardless of the first 158 games and all of the bleak days in between, this Dodgers club has a chance to do something special under the leadership of Torre and bring this Los Angeles franchise back to the roots of its rich tradition. It is well known that the Dodgers have won one playoff game since the 1988 glory days -- a 2004 Jose Lima gem in the NLDS against Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals -- and the pressure is at its highest now to make a move. The fans and the city are tired of waiting to see winning baseball again in Chavez Ravine, and you can't blame them. But luckily for the Dodgers, history is a moot point heading to the Bay this weekend. Joe will spend his weekend relaxing and setting up his rotation for the playoffs shortly after he feels his first non-Yankee champagne shower trickle down his back. Only a Dodger could say it -- how sweet it is, the fruits of victory. It's October a week early in L.A.

Wednesday playoff push

2008-09-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

* With all of the races up for grabs in the final week of the regular season, one of the most intriguing races comes from Minnesota, courtesy of the Twins and Chicago White Sox and the AL Central. The White Sox rolled into the Metrodome on Tuesday evening with a 2.5 game lead over the Twins, and was promptly waxed by Minnesota. The Twins need to win the next two ball games at home in order to take control and put their season in their own hands, so therefore White Sox still have some breathing room. This race is a simple as it gets: whichever team wins over the next two days will have a straight shot to October.

But even with Chicago's 1.5 game advantage entering Wednesday, I can't remember another race this late in the series where the club who is chasing actually seems like the real contender, the team in control. That's exactly how it feels with these Twins right now. They have momentum and then some inside that dome. Scott Baker was superb over seven innings for the Twins, allowing one earned run to pick up his tenth win of the season. He was supposed to be the young guy to fold under the pressure of a pennant race, but instead he is the guy that came to the ballpark on a mission on Wednesday.

The White Sox seem like a broken psych ward, a club aimlessly rambling in twenty five different directions with no sense of stability. Manager Ozzie Guillen is always good for a word with the media, and what better way to fire up your starting pitcher than by questioning his guts and his desire and whether or not he will ever show up big in a big game? That usually works. And so it was with Javier Vazquez Wednesday: four innings, seven hits, five earned runs, one early shower.

The Twins, on the other hand, seem loose and confident and are playing as if they are the ones with the lead looking to stomp out their division rival. It should be exactly the other way around, but credit Twins manager Ron Gardenhire for his ability to loosen up the clubhouse and keep his players focused on the way to winning baseball. His message to his team before Wednesday's game was to control what you can control and play the style of baseball that [the Twins] play best; don' try to do things that [the Twins] haven't done all season or that [the Twins] aren't capable of. What an epiphany. That is why Gardenhire has quietly made his way to the short list of baseball's best managers. Everybody seems to love playing for him.

Mark Buehrle faces Nick Blackburn tonight in Game 2 of this series, and lets see if the White Sox can get this thing back on track. A Chicago win tonight puts enormous pressure on the Twins, who would need Chicago to collapse in their final series against Cleveland to get into the playoffs. The overwhelming feeling, though, is that the Twins are about to head to October and Chicago is going to head home for a cold, bitter winter.

* The New York Mets are dipped into two races, but the sense of urgency for them revolves around the wild card. The Mets trail the Philadelphia Phillies by 1.5 games in the NL East heading into Wednesday and it doesn't appear that they are going to overcome that deficit in the season's final five days. Nonetheless, the Mets win and they are in. They hold a 1 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL wild card race.

The Mets had to win last night to keep their lead intact, and boy, did Johan Santana ever come up big. Santana answered the call for a big performance with eight great innings, allowing two runs to go along with ten strikeouts. This is exactly the type of performance that Mets GM Omar Minaya had in mind when he handed Santana $137 million to become the Mets new ace. All of the talk leading up to the game was along the lines of "well this is what they paid him for." All of that is fine. It's true. But don't you feel that sense of "it's just never really good enough?" Eight innings, two runs, 10 K's? Pshh. He should have thrown a no-no.

Yeah, there is an enormous price tag hanging on Mr. Santana's locker. But that is what the Mets gave him, and I would argue that he has been everything and more than they could have hoped for. Most guys come to New York and they flop. They can't handle the bright lights, they can't handle the big stage, and they can't handle the attention that comes from the media. Let alone the burden of a record setting contract (See: Zito, Barry). Santana hasn't done any of that. He is a stand-up guy, a guy that is a true face of the franchise along with David Wright, and he has done nothing but give the Mets chances to win ball games.

And yet, a large part of yesterday was spent discussing "is Santana overrated? Underrated? Worth it?" That talk is absurd. Every last syllable of it. Johan Santana is none of those, except for the "worth it" one. That, he is. Santana is not an underrated pitcher. Everyone knows how good he is, everyone recognizes him as one of the top 3 or 5 pitchers in baseball, and the whole league knows he can shut down any team. To be honest, I don't believe any player is underrated if a team thinks enough of him to offer him $100+ million. Enough said about that.

But overrated? Most critics who suggest this simply state that he is not the same guy as he was in Minnesota. He has lost velocity, his slider/cutter is not as devastating, and his change up has taken a hit since its effectiveness is directly related to fast ball velocity. Those are just some of the things the nay-sayers point to. A lot of these things a true. But "less of a pitcher" is certainly not one of them. Santana does not pitch at 93-94 mph anymore. He works more around 90-92. But his change up comes in around 80 mph and it is as good as ever. Most importantly, Santana has improved his fast ball command in the last few years of his career. After all, that's what's supposed to happen with pitchers as they stick around in the big leagues and mature and become better ballplayers.

Chomp on these numbers for a minute: 15-7, 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 197 K's, 225 1/3 IP. What do those numbers spell? What's that word? Ho... oh, yeah. Horse. That's what I was searching for. Read those numbers again one more time, please. Those are numbers pitching on the biggest stage in the biggest market in the biggest spot light, all while trying to buoy an entire pitching staff. And that guy is overrated? Geez. I just don't see it. Sure, $137 million is a ton of money. But it's more of a case of Santana is exactly what the Mets thought they would get for that price tag. He has delivered in a big way for the Mets, no question about it. But, naturally, he will be called a flop if the Mets don't make it to the World Series. Life in the Big Apple...

Quick note on the Brewers. Big walk-off homer from Prince Fielder last night to keep pace with the Mets. Milwaukee sends CC Sabathia to the mound tonight on three days rest looking for a big performance while hoping the Cubs can take care of New York for them. The Brewers have backed themselves into this hole, and it will certainly be disappointing if they don't make the post season. But they do have the easier schedule with Pittsburgh and then the Cubs. By the time the Cubs leave New York for Milwaukee, Lou Pinella will be resting arms and setting up his rotation for October. The Brewers will get a different Chicago team. The Mets on the other hand have to play the Florida Marlins on the final weekend. Remember the little brawl between these two teams during the last weekend of 2007 when the Marlins finished off the Mets collapse on the final day of the season? You don't think they would love to do that again? Play ball.

* Last but not least is the odd story of the Los Angeles Dodgers that continues to unfold in its peculiar ways. The Dodgers romped the San Diego Padres on Tuesday evening, 10-1, and the Diamondbacks dropped a close one, 7-4, to the Cardinals in St. Louis. Los Angeles leads Arizona by 3 games with five to play. The Dodgers have a chance to wrap up the division at home on Thursday if they get two wins and another loss from Arizona. That would be ideal as they do not want to be heading to San Francisco this weekend still fighting for a post season birth. There is nothing the Giants would love more at this point then to keep the Dodgers out of October. And don't forget, if this crazy division continues to be as wacky as it has been for the rest of the way, the Dodgers could be looking at facing Tim Lincecum on Sunday and needing a win to clinch the division. Yikes. But, relax Dodger fans, my gut tells me they will be enjoying champagne showers before they even head up to the Bay Area.

Saturday morning notes

2008-09-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

* If we need any more reasons to be excited about watching the Tampa Bay Rays, here's one: Edwin Jackson. Jackson may be one of the best stories in baseball this season but he is often overshadowed due to his past and the emergence of other big names in Tampa. Jackson was a highly-touted Dodgers prospect five years ago as he was rushed to the big leagues to make his debut on September 9, 2003, his twentieth birthday. After struggling through a little over 70 innings over the course of three seasons with the Dodgers, Los Angeles gave up on the "bust" and traded him in January, 2006 to Tampa Bay along with minor leaguer Chuck Tiffany for Danys Baez and Lance Carter. Think the Dodgers would like to have this one back?

Jackson got a taste of the big leagues with the Rays in 2006 while spending most of the season refining his craft in the minors. The Rays gave him a chance to pitch in the rotation in 2007, and with Tampa Bay finishing 30 games under .500, Jackson was allowed to pitch 161 innings in the big leagues without attention and without pressure. Jackson posted a 5.76 ERA last season, but the experience of his first real major league workload proved to be invaluable coming into spring training this season.

We knew the Rays had something brewing, but I don't know anyone who thought Tampa Bay would play this good this season. Most of us expected success to seep through in 2009 or 2010. But success for the Rays has come with unbelievable growth for Jackson. It would be safe to say that Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon had no idea what he had in Jackson in March. He knew the kid could be a contributor, but how much could he help the club? Jackson would have to prove that himself.

Jackson, only a week and a half removed from his 25th birthday, has been outstanding this season for the Rays, providing a power arm to help the Rays go from AL East cellar to AL East alpha dog in one year. This season, Jackson is 12-11 with a 4.19 ERA over 176 innings. He still has plenty of work to do, of course. But to see where this kid was only two years ago, to where he is now, is unbelievable. If you tuned in to any of the Rays-Twins game on Friday, you saw why the Rays took a chance to buy low on this kid. A 96-mph fast ball and nasty slider are only two reasons. Jackson gave up 1 run over 7 2/3 innings in the Rays 11-1 romp of the Minnesotians. If I was Maddon, I wouldn't hesitate to give Jackson the ball in Game 4 of any playoff series. The kid has a newfound confidence and has the ability to dominate anybody on any given night. And that is what makes Jackson, and the Rays, so special and so much fun to watch.

* Does Greg Maddux deserve to be included in the playoff rotation for the Dodgers, if and when they hang on to win the NL West? That is the question that Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times mulled over this morning. No, this isn't the easiest decision to make given the obvious factors: diminished stuff, routinely average performances, possibility of being hammered by anyone, caliber of other options, etc. This would be a no brainer if we are talking about the Greg Maddux of five years ago. But, today?

I still say yes, the Dodgers have to have Greg Maddux in their post season rotation. I have said time and again that I would rather have talent than experience because talent can dominate. But that's over the long haul, over a full season, over three seasons. If we are talking about one game you must win, it is hard to ignore a guy with over 350 career victories who has lived in the post season.

But this isn't that hard, actually, if we break it down for the Dodgers. Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley are going to head any playoff rotation they put out there. They have been the rocks of this staff, so done and done. I would say that Huroki Kuroda deserves a chance in the third spot given his stuff and his performance. Has he had some stinkers this year? Sure. And he has as much major league experience as Clayton Kershaw does. But there is something to be said for a guy who has pitched in professional baseball in some competitive capacity for ten years. But more so, there is something to be said about a guy who can throw a 94-mph two-seam fast ball at the knees. That's the kind of stuff I believe in, and Kuroda can bring that. So to me, he's in. At least for the first series.

That leaves Kershaw or Maddux for the fourth spot, and this doesn't seem like much of a decision to me. I'm as big a Kershaw fan as anyone, and it has been fun to watch the growth in his second stint in the big leagues. He can be the most dominating pitcher on the Dodgers staff at any time. We know this. But putting any twenty year old kid in the middle of the post season stage is a little unfair. He has the talent and he has the confidence, that's not the question. But the Dodgers can't afford a wild outing in a short playoff series. Walks kill you in the post season. Long innings lead to tired arms and exposed bullpens. At the very least, Maddux can take the ball and run with it.

Maddux's savvy alone is worth more in the playoffs. He throws strikes and can set up hitters probably better than anyone in baseball. He won't be intimidated by the bright lights and sold out stadiums because he has been there before. But even more importantly, Maddux will not be overwhelmed by emotions and nerves. He will know how to calm himself and go out and pitch. Yes, it's fair to argue that Kershaw could do the same and that we really don't know how he will respond until he is put into that situation.

The wise thing would be to put Kershaw into the bullpen for the first round and see how everything plays out. Torre can keep Maddux on a short leash from the get go, and if something is about to go terribly wrong, he can send Kershaw out to the mound to start the third inning. But what makes Maddux so great is that it will be the fifth inning before Torre even settles down on his dugout perch with his cup of hot coffee. Torre ought to use Kershaw in two or three inning stints and allow him to be a dominant middle guy. That would prove to be an unbelievable value for a kid that has exceeded all expectations this season. If Maddux chokes in his one start and the Dodgers make it past the first round, then maybe the Dodgers send the rookie to the mound in the NLCS. But if we are talking about pressure and expectations and who is better suited to handle them, come on. This shouldn't be that tough of a call.

Friday morning notes

2008-09-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

* Was it really Ned Yost's fault? That is the question that looms for me, and my quick answer is no, it wasn't. Sure, the Brewers were struggling leading up to Yost's firing. They had squandered their wild card lead, but they were tied with twelve games left to play. Twelve games. Enter interim manager Dale Sveum, and the Milwaukee Brewers appear to be the same team that was self-imploding before Yost was shown the door. Collapses like these are rarely about the manager. Choke jobs and blown games are about players failing to do the job.

The firing of Ned Yost was more of a panic attack than anything else. The Brewers failed down the stretch in 2007 and the same was already on its way this season. But Yost gets the team into September with a chance to go to the playoffs and he's axed? Or was it simply that Brewers management was afraid to face the questions when and if the Brewers missed the playoffs without making a change? That seems more likely.

We all saw the Brewers-Cubs game last night. This isn't about Ned Yost. This is about a poor bullpen. This isn't about Dale Sveum. This is about lacking the ability to execute with a game to be had. The Brewers simply don't look like a playoff team. When you have Kerry Wood on the ropes and a chance to take the game, runners on second and third and nobody out, you can't come away from that inning empty. When you have a four run lead and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning on the road, you can't kick balls around and allow fast balls to seep over the heart of the plate.

The Brewers are a 1.5 games behind the Mets for the wild card, but that lead surely feels much more than that. Teams need to be surging heading into late September, not sliding. With the Cubs win and Brewers loss, Chicago reduced it's magic number to clinch the NL Central to 2. I guess everything is OK in Wrigleyville now. At least until the playoffs begin. Remember, it was only a week or so ago when the entire city was just waiting for "the curse" to come in and snatch the playoffs away from the Cubbies. Zambrano had a sore shoulder. Harden needed some rest. Everything continued to pile up and the papers began to speculate. That's what happens in a city with such passion and fervor for baseball. It's a blessing and a curse to play in an environment like that.

* The NL East race has become all the more compelling given the Brewers struggles as New York sits a 1/2 game back of the Phillies. A month ago, there was absolutely no scenario in which I could envision both the Mets and the Phillies making the playoffs. The Cubs were in. The Brewers were in. That left only the division there for the taking. But, wow, how things can change. The final nine days of the season are going to be thrillers for the East Coast, and it will be interesting to see how these teams come out and play knowing that they have a shot to win the wild card if they fail to win that division. How will that affect there play, if it does at all?

On top of that, what is the feeling in New York going to be like if the Mets don't win the NL East, but instead take the wild card? I have a feeling that it won't really be a sense of accomplishment and celebration as much as it will be a feeling of failure. The wild card will almost be a backhanded compliment to the Mets, given the way the media will label it as a failure to hang on to a division lead more than the achievement of playoff birth. What the Mets need to realize if that happens is that the Brewers, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, among others, would love to take that backhanded compliment. It will be interesting to see these story lines play out.

* This whole week feels like one big memorial service for Yankee Stadium as the final game will be played there Sunday evening against the Baltimore Orioles. It will certainly be eerie to watch that final inning and see the final out be made and watch the fans stick around and the players walk around the field one last time, and all of that. But this was also the week of records for The Stadium, and it is kind of fitting that it will be sent off with a couple last historic feats, as it has been the home of so many memorable October evenings.

Earlier this week, Derek Jeter eclipsed Lou Gehrig's record of most hits in Yankee Stadium. Just reading that sentence is a bit chilling. We are entering the stage of Jeter's career where his name is going to be popping up on all kinds of lists and records and this is the time where we can begin to realize all of the things he has accomplished. When your name stands ahead of Gehrig, Ruth, Mantle, Dimaggio, et al, you've done something.

Alex Rodriguez accomplished a feat in his own right on Wednesday evening by belting his 35th home run of the season. With the homer, Rodriguez passed Babe Ruth and became the first player in MLB history to hit 35 home runs and drive in 100 runs in 12 separate seasons. That is unbelievable considering the good years that Rodriguez seemingly has left in his career. He keeps himself in such great shape and is such a superior athlete that it is not unthinkable for him to put up those types of numbers for another five or six years. Say what you want about A-Rod, but he will be the best player to ever play when his career is closed in Cooperstown.

Sunday Playoff Talk

2008-09-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

-- After a long few days off, Ballpark Banter catches up on divisional races that are rounding into shape...

* For all the words and befuddled thoughts dedicated to the NL West this season, we are pretty sure the champion has been declared. The Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly can't lose these days, while the Arizona Diamondbacks can't negotiate a win. With their 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday evening, the Dodgers have won four straight and are 9-1 in their last ten ball games. The Dodgers' win coupled with Arizona's loss to the Reds moved Los Angeles 4.5 games ahead of their division rivals with 14 games left for L.A. and 15 games remaining for 'Zona.

This has really been one of the more amusing months of baseball for the National League West, because who could have thought of this role-reversal? The Dodgers were free falling into the Pacific Ocean hoping not to be bothered while Arizona kept trading and pushing for the finish line. After Manny Ramirez went to L.A. and Adamn Dunn and David Eckstein went to the D'backs, the two clubs have completely flopped ways. Now the Dodgers are looking down from the Hollywood sign while Arizona can't bury it's head in the hot, Phoenix sand quickly enough.

It's remarkable, really, how two pitchers of such caliber, Dan Haren and Brandon Webb, can pitch so well for so long and then fold when the race gets thick. It's not as if these guys are rookies feeling the pressure; Webb has a Cy Young award under his belt and still has a chance for another one this year, although Tim Lincecum has clearly set himself apart from the rest of the league. Something happened in that clubhouse, something took over that team. While the D'backs got comfortable, the Dodgers got hungry.

Tuned in to watch a little bit of Clayton Kershaw in Coors Field Saturday, and the difference between this start and his last one in Colorado was remarkable. The last time Kershaw was in Denver was his first start back from the minors where the Dodgers had sent him to polish up his command. You can relive that night here but lets just say that night didn't end up to well for the kid. But what we saw this time around was something completely different; this was grown lion, no longer the shell-shocked cub.

Kershaw was relentless for six innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits with 7 strikeouts. The fast ball came in around 94-96 with life, and was put in good spots, unlike his previous trip here. Big league hitters have a chance against 95 belt-high down the middle, but they have no shot against 95 the knees. Sorry; it ain't happening. Kershaw jabbed and jabbed with the fast ball and then brought the left hook with the curve ball that started atop the Rocky Mountains and dropped down into Russell Martin's mitt. For Arizona, its time to get the irons out and cleaned up and for the Dodgers, its time to start lining up the playoff rotation.

* There may not be more fun in the next couple weeks than what will be taking place in the NL East. The Mets come into Sunday with a 2.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies with a year's worth of disgust to overcome in New York. That disgust of course carried over from the epic collapse of September 2007, and there surely will be not let up this season for the Mets until they clinch the division. Nobody will allow them to forget what happened last year. Not the fans, not the media, not the deli owner on the corner. Want to take a cab to the ballpark? The driver will tell you to get a win, too. That's how it goes in that town.

But New York can relax, that collapse isn't going to happen this season. Why? Two words: Johan Santana. Santana shoved it against the Braves for seven innings on Sunday allowing two earned runs, showing why the Mets unloaded the farm system and broke the piggy bank to bring him in. What's amazing about Santana is that he really has been underrated this year. Not many people are aware of the season he has put up because the wins haven't piled up for the big guy.

Yes, Santana is 13-7. That record isn't going to get him into Cy Young consideration. But, really, he should be talked about with the rest of the contenders. Santana sports as 2.70 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and has 179 strikeouts in 210 innings. He is nothing but a horse. But because of the Mets' unstable bullpen this season, Santana has had a bunch of wins drift into the humid New York air. It is not unrealistic to say that Santana could have 20-or so wins this year, given the way he has pitched. But recognition is meaningless. This guy is going to get the Mets into the playoffs. The bullpen will have to return the favor when they get there.

* The best series of the second half may well have been the three games Tampa Bay spent at Fenway Park and the beginning of the week. The Rays took two of three tough games from the Red Sox, with one of those wins being snatched out of the hands of All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon. Boston has been hot while Tampa Bay has crawled along here recently, but the Rays still hold a 2 game lead over the defending World Champions heading into the final couple weeks of regular season play.

Everybody has been holding their breath on the Rays, not wanting to believe what we are currently witnessing. And to be honest, the Rays aren't going to have the full confidence of the fans until this season wraps up and we all look back in amazement. But I guess that's the price you pay from ten years of dreadful losing.

The Rays have their issues. BJ Upton is banged up, Carl Crawford is not coming back, Troy Percival is in over his head in the closer's role. But Evan Longoria just came off the DL and immediately began hitting, and the Rays have depth in their bullpen. Grant Balfour or Dan Wheeler could step in and close if need be. And David Price has just been called up and added to the mix. Where the Rays have the advantage -- maybe the Ray and Angels are on the same level -- is in their starting pitching. Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza... Any of them could dominate on any given night.

The Rays should hold off the Red Sox for the division and will be chasing the Angels for the best record in baseball and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. For Boston, it all comes down to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has had a wonderful season despite high walk totals. Josh Beckett is healthy and we should fully expect to see him get reared up for this time of year like he usually does. I absolutely love Jon Lester and what he is about. He may be the most underrated pitcher in baseball right now, but it's only a matter of time before his name is bounced around with the game's elite.

Wednesday morning notes

2008-09-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

* I tuned in to the Angels-Yankees game last night in search of the first team to punch their ticket for post season play this season, but it just wasn't there for the Angels last night. With their Magic Number at 2, the Angels needed to combine a win with a Texas Rangers loss to clinch the division and neither happened as New York took care of business, 7-1. The Angels would have crushed the record of earliest clinching of the AL West by about a week -- the record stands as September, 15 -- but they are still likely to set a new benchmark.

I thought Ervin Santana pitched better than what his line score reads last night. He had great stuff, as usual, and he battled. It just happened to be that Alex Rodriguez showed why he is one of the best hitters on the planet last night. Rodriguez had a great at-bat to lead off the fourth inning I think it was, fouling off fast balls and sliders to get the count 3-2 before ripping the thirteenth pitch into left field for a single. A-Rod would add a three-run homer in the sixth inning to cap off his night.

The score looked ugly last night, but the Angels aren't exactly in a bad spot. Gary Matthews Jr. botched a fly ball in right center field, and the Angels had other issues catching the baseball, but those defensive errors can be fixed. They did give Derek Jeter a triple on that Matthews drop, but that ball needs to be caught by all means. But that stuff happens. They can easily sharpen up their defense in today's game because that is usually a product of simply a lack of focus. Brandon Wood is finally starting to show something even though he went 0-for-4 last night. Wood homered twice the night before in the Angels romp of the Yankees, and is making a play for a shortstop or possibly third base job with the big club in the near future.

The Angels certainly want to get this clinching business over with as soon as possible so they can turn their focus towards preparing for the post season, but what they need to do is keep attacking and keep playing with a sense of vengeance and urgency. That is the best way to prepare for the playoffs. The need to win needs to remain in tact in order for the club not to ride into the playoffs on a wave of complacency. Dustin Moseley is on the mound today for the Angels in a 12:30 PM get-away game, and the righty has a chance to do something special at the end of what has been a frustrating season for him. Brandon Morrow is on the hill for Seattle today against the Rangers, and that sure bodes well for the Angels chances. Get Morrow three runs, Angels take care of the Yankees, and the division is wrapped up. Morrow is as nasty as they get on any given night.

* When we think we have seen it all from baseball and these Tampa Bay Rays, both find a way to give us a little bit more. What a game, what a moment, last night at Fenway Park. Much has been said about the Rays recent struggles and their squandering a comfortable lead in the AL East- if comfortable and AL East can go together -- and the Red Sox were on the verge of taking over the lead in the division. Boston entered Tuesday's game 1/2 game back of the Rays and had them right where they wanted them: a lead in the ninth inning, handing the ball over to Jonathan Papelbon to put them back into first place in the AL East.

I can only imagine the electricity in the ballpark during that ninth inning, and I wish I could have been there. But not to be outdone with magic, here comes Dan Johnson to the plate for the Rays, recalled from the minor leagues on Tuesday morning to replace BJ Upton who had to sit out due to a strained quadriceps. Johnson drilled a Papelbon offering into the Boston night to tie the game at 4-4. Not only was that Johnson's first pinch-hit home run of his career, that was his first pinch-hit of his career. Johnson had been 0-for-15 before this at-bat against Papelbon in his career when it comes to pinch-hitting, and he picks this spot to get on the board. Unbelievable.

Of course, getting Johnson to the ballpark was a different story in itself, a story that makes this game and this moment all the more wacky; some things only happen in baseball. Yahoo! Sports' Gordon Edes tells you that story here.

* For a long time here, I thought the Dodgers were the most mysterious team in baseball. But the more I come to think about it, what is wrong with these Arizona Diamondbacks? As confusing as the Dodgers are, Arizona is equally perplexing. Brandon Webb was a surefire Cy Young award winner at the All-Star break. We could have penned his name in, sent the trophy to his home, told every other NL Cy Young contender to head off to an early vacation. It was over.

Flash forward to now and Webb can't seem to buy his twentieth win. He has been beat around the park twice by the Dodgers in the last two weeks, and all of a sudden he appears to be considerably behind Tim Lincecum in the Cy Young discussion. Dan Haren was building himself a great season, but after he too had it handed to him in his last few starts, he sits at 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA. Very respectable numbers, but they are not indicative of his recent performance and that is all that matters to the Diamondbacks.

The Giants walked-off on the D'backs Tuesday evening, winning 5-4, and the Dodgers pulled away from the Padres in the ninth leading to a 6-2 victory and increasing Los Angeles' lead in the NL West to 2.5 games. The only thing predictable about this race and about this division is that it is wildly unpredictable. Whichever team takes this division, and most people feel pretty secure now about the Dodgers being that team, the loser will go home this winter and just wonder how they are not playing in October.

There have been so many opportunities for both clubs, so many that they both have taken advantage and blown a ton, that it is not tough to imagine either one of these clubs being 7 games up at this point in time. But with no more head-to-head match ups remaining and the schedule shaping up to favor the Dodgers, it is hard to imagine a scenario where Arizona comes back and steals this one. Given the current stability of their rotation that is missing Randy Johnson to go along with a struggling Webb and Haren, and the fact that their fate no longer rests in their own hands, I think the ship has sailed on the Diamondbacks. The amazing thing about all of this is that we were burying the Dodgers not too long ago, simply fed up with their underachieving ways, and now they are beginning to look like a team that not only can get into the playoffs, but a team that is capable of making some noise when they get in. A weird season, to say the least.

Monday morning notes

2008-09-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

* We've all given up on trying to explain the Dodgers and their flip-flopping ways. They looked like a solid team ready to explode on this futile division, then they go on an 8-game losing streak that stretched over a long road trip where they got waxed in Philadelphia and Washington -- yes, Washington -- and now they are promptly amidst an 8-game winning streak. The Dodgers haven't lost in September and, after sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium over the weekend, hold a 1.5 game lead over Arizona in the NL West.

So, we have all of that down. Since there really is no explaining the rhyme or reason to this team, we can only choose to look at the present and take a peak at the future. The Dodgers begin a three-game series today in San Diego against the Padres before going to Colorado for three and Pittsburgh for four. A 9-1 road trip, anyone?

An offense that couldn't muster any threat two weeks ago is suddenly producing at an optimal level, due in large part to Manny Ramirez and Andre Ethier. In the last two weeks, Ramirez boasts a .465/.554/.953 line with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs. In the last six games, Ethier is hitting .650 (13-for-20) with 10 runs scored. He has been absolutely on fire and has firmly made the case for Joe Torre that he deserves the playing time, not Juan Pierre or Andruw Jones when he is healthy.

Above all of the hitting, the Dodgers continue to get great pitching through this stretch. Clayton Kershaw struggled in the heat Sunday, and he was the only pitcher who performed under par, surrendering three runs over four innings. On Friday night, Derek Lowe threw eight shutout innings and on Saturday, Chad Billingsley struck out 9 Diamondbacks over 6 1/3 innings. Yesterday we saw Jonathan Broxton escape a ninth inning jam to record his first five-out save of the season, a game the Dodgers desperately needed to keep the momentum going.

This has been a wild ride for the Dodgers; it's a story that we cannot confine to any particular parameters. The only thing we can do is look forward from here, keeping in mind the Dodgers current performance. They have gotten great hitting, great pitching, and the schedule is set up for them to race to the NL West title. This will be a fun few weeks.

* Johan Santana came up big for the Mets Sunday night, salvaging the final game of a three game series against the Phillies. With the win, the Mets take a two game lead in the NL East into this week's play, with the chance of gaining some ground as the Phillies open up a series at home with the Florida Marlins tonight. Philadelphia was a Santana-performance away from going into New York and sweeping the Mets out of Shea Stadium. That would have left New York one game ahead in the race, and these two teams do not match up again in the regular season.

The Mets have a chance to further their lead -- they play the Nationals and Braves twelve times over the next couple weeks -- and put to rest any doubts and any notions about a recurrence of September 2007. If Santana didn't step up last night and lift the Mets to victory, it would have been ugly in the papers on Monday morning. The headlines would have run rampant, everybody would have been in panic mode, and the Mets surely would have been labeled as on the verge of another collapse.

But today we don't have to worry about that. The season goes on and the Mets have games that they need to finish out. They still have issues, for sure, but those have been tampered lately due to exceptional performance. The bullpen has been solid, but the fact that Billy Wagner may not be back this season still looms large in their quest for post season relevance. Are they really comfortable with all unproven guys getting the ball late in October games? I'm not sold, but they have gotten them this far.

Arguably the best story in all of baseball has been the resurgence of Carlos Delgado. Delgado added two more home runs Sunday -- that's 33 for the season -- and has 65 RBIs in his last 65 games. He has been on a torrid pace since the All-Star break -- Delgado has risen his batting average 40 points in the second half compared to the first half, not to mention he has 10 home runs in the last two weeks. It was only a few months ago that Delgado was mercilessly booed at Shea, feuding with the fans every time he took the lonely walk from the dugout to the batter's box.

Delgado made news for not acknowledging the fans since he believed that he had been disrespected when he was struggling. If the fans were going to run him out of town when he had a bad April, he wasn't going to thank them for their cheers when he suddenly turned the whole league upside down with his bat. In essence, he's right. But all of that is behind him now, and he is back to being the threat that the Mets need in the middle of their order. Without Delgado, the Mets would be buried in this race and this series would have been rather moot, instead of the thriller that we enjoyed. Every day I see Delgado is another day I have flashbacks to Toronto.

* The Cubs woes continue as Kerry Wood blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning, and the Reds came in to swipe the game away. Wrigley has been ablaze in rumors and hysteria in the past month, and with real reasons for concern. Carlos Zambrano has some mild tendinitis and the Cubs skipped Rich Harden's start in order to rest his arm. All of the sudden, the Cubs were no better than the Houston Astros. OK, so hold on for a minute. Luckily for the Cubs, the Brewers have not played exceptionally well and Chicago still holds a four game lead in the NL Central. Zambrano is going to be ready to go in October; that is, I believe he will be until proven otherwise. Harden is going to be back on the mound for the Cubs Tuesday in St. Louis. Slumps are just that, but the whole season is not imploding on the Cubs right now. There are issues, but they can be resolved. Most importantly, the Cubs are going to get into the post season and then we will reevaluate from there. Anything can happen in October; anybody can suddenly get real healthy, real hot, or real cold.

A Veteran Choice

2008-09-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to be the year. This was meant to be the one time where the Yankees pushed all of their chips into the center of the table and gave winning a championship their best shot. We won't sit here and say that the mistakes began with resisting to complete the Johan Santana trade because Ballpark Banter wasn't completely sold on giving up two pitching prospects plus another piece for the right to pay Santana anything north of $100 million, either. Of course, that would have been the wise move looking back, taking into consideration Santana's strong year with the Mets and the zero return the Yankees got for their investment in Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

Oh, there were other factors to the Yankees demise, for sure. Joba Chamberlain should have been in the starting rotation from Day One, nobody expected Chien-Ming Wang to miss most of the season, and if Hughes was healthy, at the least he would have eaten up some innings and kept the Yankees from turning to Sidney Ponson and Co. in hopes of keeping their post season dreams afloat. But none of that happened and nobody feels sorry for the Yankees. After all, every team faces decisions that don't come to fruition in the end, and all teams are hit with injuries. It's a consistent principle of sports.

The Yankees will look back on 2008 and see it as the season that could have been special if only a few different moves were made and a little more clutch hitting occurred. But we aren't here to break down the reasons why the Yankees didn't meet expectations this season. That would take us til Christmas. What we have learned from this season is that the tough decisions will still remain this winter, and in essence, the Yankees will have gotten nowhere from last off season to this next one. Whether or not the Bombers will open up the new Yankee Stadium on winning terms will depend on a variety of issues, but the most important decisions will regard their starting rotation. It's the rotation that provides the most interesting question for the Yankees looking into 2009.

Before we get into that, we must add that there has to be a few absolutes: 1) Put Joba in the rotation from the get-go, 2) Offer CC Sabathia the Statue Of Liberty-- and the Empire State building if need be -- to sign, 3) Thank Ponson, Darrell Rasner, and Dan Geise for their services and wish them well in their future. Those three things must happen if the Yankees are going to jump right back to contention at the top of the AL East next season.

If those factors fall into place and injuries do not deplete the Yankees' soldiers like they did this season, by my count the rotation will look like this: Sabathia, Wang, Chamberlain, Hughes, "?". That is a solid group, a quad of arms that will rival anything Tampa Bay or Boston has to offer. But, yes, the question mark. The Yankees have two obvious in-house options to choose from.

Mr. Cashman, would you prefer the services of Mike Mussina or Andy Pettitte? That is the question that be, and the answer could prove to be vital towards the Yankees future success. Both are veteran pitchers who have had success in New York, have had success in the playoffs, and are rather predictable entities. You know what you are going to get with Pettitte and Mussina. But which one do the Yankees want?

Mike Mussina had a dismal 2007, a season so embarrassing that retirement wasn't out of the picture. But to his credit, he has had a complete resurgence in 2008. This season, Mussina is 17-7 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 172 1/3 innings pitched. He has a solid chance to win twenty games, a feat he has never accomplished in his great career. Mussina has similar numbers to his horrid 2007, but his walks are down and the numbers are the same over a span of twenty more innings. There lies the difference.

If you think that this season has simply been a stat-padding year for Mussina or more of a coincidence, you are wrong. Mussina ranks 2nd in the American League with 1.25 walks per nine innings pitched, a necessity with diminished stuff. What has been impressive about Mussina is that he has pitched like the staff ace this entire season. He has buried the bad teams, and has raised his games against the tough teams.

Since July 23, Mussina has pitched nine games. Five of those starts have been against possible post season teams (2 against Minnesota, 1 against Angels, Red Sox, and Rays), while three of the last four have been against tough opponents (1 against Texas, 2 against division rival Baltimore Orioles). The other start came against the Kansas City Royals. We'll give you that one, Mike. But over the course of those nine starts, Mussina has compiled a record of 5-1 to go along with a 3.20 ERA and approximately a 6:1 strike out-to-walk ratio. He averaged more than 6 innings per start over that span.

What has been the real difference in performance for Mussina this year as opposed to last year?It's pretty simply, really. He is throwing more strikes and walking fewer batters this season. Musinna is averaging less than ten pitches per inning while making strike one most vital to his success. Mussina has had trouble against right-handed hitters -- they are hitting 80 points better than the lefties -- but that's probably because he doesn't have a great pitch to combat the right handers with. The lefties have to battle with the change up.

Pettitte, on the other hand, has been more of a disappointment this season than in any other year. After a solid 2007, the Yankees brought Pettitte back hoping he could be a horse to slot right behind Wang at the top of the rotation and take some pressure off of the young arms the Yankees were planning on infiltrating into the rotation.

Pettitte is 13-11 this season with a 4.52 ERA and 1.39 WHIP and has allowed the most hits of any pitcher in the American League. For all of the poor performances from Pettitte, he at least offers reliability and accountability. Pettitte will take the baseball every five days regardless of the situation -- his 29 starts rank second in the AL, and he ranks in the Top 10 in innings pitched. He is a stand-up guy with high character, one who will face the daunting New York media during struggles, as he has done this season, and a guy who will help keep the clubhouse in line.

But the question with Pettitte is not whether or not he wants to be in New York next season, it's whether he wants to be anywhere in baseball at all instead of back home in Texas? Pettitte has flip-flopped over the past few off seasons -- to play or not to play? -- and has only been convinced when the spring started to poke its head above the horizon. Every winter is the same question: Does the mind want to do this and can the body handle the grind? Pettitte is 36 years old, so it is no longer a question of burnout. At this age, those concerns are legitimate and it may just be that the sacrifice is no longer worth it for him.

The Yankees are awash in money, their pockets don't know the feel of lint, and most of that money will be thrown into the free-agent market this winter for the aforementioned Sabathia, and possibly slugger Mark Teixeira and another arm -- A.J. Burnett has been getting a lot of ink in the New York papers recently. With Pettitte, Mussina, Giambi, and Abreu coming off of the books this winter, the Yankees are going to be even more eager to spend.

But, as ironic as it may be, this decision could come down to dollars for the Yankees. Mussina is making a little over $11 million this season and Pettitte is making $16 million. The Yankees would obviously take Mussina's numbers on paper over Pettitte's, and with the $5 million difference, they would take Mussina even if he were only marginally better than Pettitte. What needs to be factored into the equation is the dollars and the predicted production for 2009. Both Mussina and Pettitte are pitching with less stuff than they did in the prime of their careers, so it is hard to distinguish between the two in terms of who should be better off. The difference may just lie in the basics: Who throws more strikes? Strikes lead to success, and that answer is Mussina.

Pettitte could make this decision very easy for the Yankees if he says he has had enough and hangs it up. With all things equal and dollars factored in, the logical decision is Mike Mussina. If Pettitte retires and Mussina wants to be bumped up to $15-16 million, then it may be wise for the Yankees to pursue a different option via trade or free agency; let's be honest, as good as Mussina is, it is not likely that he repeats these numbers next year. There's a plethora of decisions waiting on the desk of Brian Cashman this off season and a handful of them will get more noise than this one. But as proven this season, what's the price for a reliable veteran? We are about to find out in The Bronx.

Thursday morning notes

2008-09-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

* The NL West is so gracious, so giving, that it really doesn't like to let teams go. This race is a two team race, I think, but it amazes me that on September 4, after all of the injuries and losses that have piled up at Coors Field in Colorado, the Rockies are still in the hunt for the division. It is likely? No. But they are still in it, especially if they find a way to get hot like they did last year. Even half as hot as they were last year, and they will have a shot going into the last week of play this month. The Rockies sit 6 games back in the division of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies could gain some ground on Arizona and Los Angeles if the two teams beat up on each other, not to mention Colorado and Arizona still have six games remaining between each other.

Look, the Rockies aren't a great team. They are a mediocre team, obviously; their record will tell you that. But there is more to this team than anyone cares to realize due to its record. The Rockies spark plug, Troy Tulowitzki, is having a down year compared to his great rookie season in 2007, but he has missed a lot of time with a quad injury and a gashed hand. What matters is than since coming back from his quad injury on June 20, Tulowitzki is hitting .295 with an .818 OPS.

This club still has its big bopper in Matt Holliday. Since the All-Star break, Holliday is hitting .314 with a .411 OBP and a .564 SLG. Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe are both hitting .290 or better, Willy Taveras is having a mediocre year, but his 66 stolen bases still tell us the kind of threat he is when he gets on base.

The Rockies have a stable arm at the top of the rotation in Aaron Cook, they have the electric Ubaldo Jimenez who sports a 3.55 ERA sine June 1, Jeff Francis hasn't taken the quantum leaps that most people thought he would, but the southpaw had a 3.45 ERA in 31 1/3 innings in August, and that's not to mention Brian Fuentes at the back of the bullpen with his 26 saves and invaluable experience.

See, the Rockies aren't a team that is going to jump out at you when looking at their roster, they are not going to pitch better than everyone, or hit better than everyone, or do anything better than anyone. But Colorado will do a little bit of everything, and what matters is that they still play the Dodgers and Diamonbacks, and they have soft games against the Braves, Padres, and Giants remaining. As crazy as it sounds, the Rockies are one run away from having a say in the NL West outcome this season.

* If it weren't for the Boston Red Sox and Dustin Pedroia, the Yankees would actually be at the outset of one last push for October relevance. The Yankees have played good baseball down in Tampa Bay, taking the first two games with the Rays, and are talented enough that you never feel quite comfortable putting them to rest until they are actually out of it and the season is over.

The Yankees have the type of lineup that can reel of 10, 12 straight wins if it gets even decent pitching. They don't need to have dominant starting pitching; they need starters who keep them in the game and give them a chance to hand the ball over to the best closer in baseball in Mariano Rivera.

But late inning heroics by the Red Sox, and late inning implosion by the Orioles, have kept the Yankees 7 games back of Boston in the wild card race and that lead remains a tall order to overcome. But this gives us a chance to look towards next year a bit, only because the Yankees are beginning to make decisions now that will greatly affect their ball club in 2009.

What is the most sure fire way to repeat this type of season in 2009? Do what general manager Brian Cashman is suggesting and start Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen again in 2009. The Yankees have pieced together a pretty good bullpen this season. The reason why they have been boat-raced by their AL East counterparts is because they don't have nearly the starting pitching it takes to be a serious contender and threat in the American League. So if you are thirsty for starting pitching, why would you put an arm that is capable as being as dominant as anyone back in the bullpen?

I understand the reasoning for Cashman thinking this way, but I don't agree with it and I don't believe it is accurate. Cashman believes that Chamberlain's case of shoulder tendinitis was due to the move to the starting rotation, and the burden of pitching six or seven innings a night versus pitching one or two. He believes that by limiting his workload early in the season in the bullpen, he will be fresh later in the season and the Yankees will be able to stick him back in the rotation to give them a late season boost.

This is simply foolish. The kid has been a starter his entire life. It's not starting pitching that hurt his shoulder. What hurt his shoulder was the plan that the Yankees put him on, and then their panic attack that rushed him into the starting rotation amidst a sinking ship in The Bronx when Chamberlain simply wasn't conditioned for a starting role. How is Chamberlain going to be better of by repeating this same plan?

Next year is simply going to be a repeat for Chamberlain and the Yankees if this is really the course of action. The Yankees ought to tell Chamberlain before he goes home for the off season that they are relying on him to be in the rotation next season. That way he can train his body and arm to be a starting pitcher, and he will have the opportunity to come into spring training in shape and ready for the role. That is the only plausible option for getting ready for a season. By putting Chamberlain in the bullpen and trying to have him make the transition to starting during the season, the Yankees are jeopardizing the health of a future ace and the Yankees chances at making the playoffs in 2009.

Wednesday morning notes

2008-09-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

* I didn't mean to offend Clayton Kershaw. I really didn't. Here I was in the last week or two, frustrated with the Dodgers and their underperforming ways, and I said that Kershaw should finish out his season in the minors, pitch a couple more times, and then just be shut down for the rest of the season. The kid has thrown close to 150 innings, and I figured that would be enough for a twenty year old phenom who has had some big league success, but has not stood above the rest of the starters. He has been way above average for a twenty year old kid, no denying that, but Kershaw has only arguably been one of the top five starters for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not definitely. Arguably

Well, what do I know, as soon as I got done saying that, Kershaw goes out in his first start in September and dominates, reminding all of us why Joe Torre and the Dodgers are sticking with him in the heat of a division title race. Sorry Clayton, if you are going to pitch like that, by all means, take the ball and get out there. The spotlight is yours.

Kershaw was outstanding last night in an 8-4 win over the San Diego Padres; that was the best he has been with the Dodgers. In fact, Kershaw actually pitched better than how his line score reads, which already indicates a good performance. Officially, Kershaw went seven-plus innings, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and 6 strike outs. Kershaw left the game after walking the first two hitters in the top of the eighth and, with the score 8-1, Ramon Troncoso came on and didn't get an out, allowing the two inherited runners to score. But that is irrelevant, really.

Kershaw was ahead most of the night, throwing 66 of his 99 pitches for strikes, and most importantly, he showed the best command of his fast ball he has had all season. Not only did Kershaw challenge the Padres and come at them 93-96 mph gas, he put it on the corners most of the time. When catcher Russell Martin called for the fast ball inside, Kershaw put it there on the inside corner, and the hitter could only swing and miss or break his bat and sting his hands in the process. The choice was his. What a nice guy, this Clayton Kershaw.

The curve ball was sharp, it had depth, and Kershaw showed two variations of it. He threw a "get-me-over" curve ball early in the count to try and steal a strike, and when he was ahead looking for the punch out, he threw the devastating breaking ball that whistled on its way past the bat. Just a tease. All of that is without mentioning the change up, which is a pretty good third pitch, although he doesn't throw it often. But, by all means, what a performance.

The Dodgers have won four in a row, are 1.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, and have the Diamondbacks coming into town for three games this weekend. Like we said here the other day, the division is there for the taking this weekend, if the Dodgers want it. I know that there will still be twenty-something games to play after this series with Arizona, and theoretically, the Dodgers could lose their lead, but I don't believe it for one reason in particular. As Ballpark Banter laid out last week, the schedule is soft. The Dodger's schedule the rest of the way is as easy as it gets. San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh. All the patsies. The only guy that scares me out of that group is Tim Lincecum. The Dodgers should be able to manage if they take care of business this weekend.

* ESPN.com's Buster Olney touched on the Cubs this morning and their growing reasons for concern. Carlos Zambrano skipped his last start due to what the team called a "tired arm", and Zambrano left his start last night after pitching five innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Zambrano complained of having a sore arm after last night's start, a game the Cubs dropped to the Houston Astros, 9-7.

Look, there surely is some cause for concern right now in Wrigleyville. They are have lost four in a row and are a poor performance today away from being swept at home by Houston, their ace has a sore arm, Rich Harden is being shut down for a week or two in order to save his arm and, hopefully, keep him healthy for the playoffs. Kosuke Fukudome has hit .216 with a .318 OBP in the last four weeks. We got it, there are some concerns.

But I'm not overly worried like some are. Alfonso Soriano is hitting .279 with a .496 SLG since August 1, Aramis Ramirez is staking his claim as one of baseball's most underrated hitters. Derek Lee and Geovani Soto are boppers in the middle of the lineup that can do some serious damage when guys ahead of them get on, Ryan Theriot is a solid player, so is Mark DeRosa. The bullpen is arguably the best in baseball, with three toxic arms at the back end. So there are a lot of things to like about this club.

The Cubs still have a 4.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, so they have a little cushion to work with here. Chicago isn't as invincible today as we thought they were three weeks ago. That's a fact. But what is important is that they are better than their competition, and the goal at the outset of the season isn't to win the World Series. Of course, that is what everyone is shooting for in the end, but it shouldn't be the goal. That's too big, too out of reach because a lot of factors come into play.

What should the goal be? Make the playoffs. That's it. Be at the ballpark when your calendar turns to October and not on your sofa or on a fishing trip. If you get into the post season, you have a chance to win it all, and I don't care what anyone says. The game has proven that to us. Look at the Angels in 2002, the Marlins in 2003, the Red Sox in 2004, the Cardinals in 2006. Almost every championship of this decade came from a team who found how to get in the playoffs and then get hot, with the exception of the 2000 Yankees, '05 White Sox, and '07 Red Sox. The '01 Diamonbacks weren't supposed to win that Series; heck, the Yankees had Mariano Rivera on the mound in the ninth inning of Game 7 with a lead. What are the odds of that one?

The '03 Marlins were not supposed to beat the Yankees. It just so happened that a kid named Josh Beckeet found his way to the ballpark, and a freight train named Dontrelle Willis whirled and hurled himself to the top of the post season pedestal . Even the Red Sox last year, a team that was far and away better than anybody else, had the most improbable opponent in the Colorado Rockies.

So, yes, there is some reason for concern for the Cubs, but I don't see as much of it as some others do. The mantra is the same for the good teams, the bad teams, the mediocre teams: find a way to get to October. If you get to October, you are a couple dominant pitching performances or a couple bases-loaded doubles away from having a chance at winning the World Series. That's how it goes in a five or seven game series; the hottest team always wins. Sometimes that hottest team just happens to be the best team, and therefore we are not surprised, and sometimes it happens to be the wild card team, and we are left with a great story. In October, nobody is asking you to be the better team over the course of 162 games. You need to be the better team over the course of seven games. Any team is capable of that if they have a chance. As long as the Cubs are breathing when the playoffs arrive, I still believe they come out of the National League.

Sunday morning notes

2008-09-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

* Ned Yost is furious. The manager of the Milwaukee Brewers will lead the charge to contest a controversial call in Milwaukee's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, a call that cost CC Sabathia a no-hitter. During the bottom the fifth inning, Pittsburgh's Andy LaRoche hit a dribbler out in front of the mound, Sabathia charged the ball, attempting to pick it up bare-handed, and botched the play. It was an easy play, one that pitchers practice over and over and over again during spring training. It is a routine play, without question. If Sabathia fielded the ball cleanly, LaRoche would have been out by ten or fifteen feet.

The official game scorer at PNC Park ruled the play a base-hit, effectively ending Sabathia's no-hit bid. So, there you go, that's the short version of the story. I understand the Brewers' anger, because the play should have been ruled an error. But isn't that just a part of baseball? Aren't official scorers somewhat like umpires? Ok so you didn't get the call, it cost you a no-hitter, get over it. There are couple reasons why this is all a bit ridiculous.

First off, what happens when a play or call is protested, and MLB actually reverses it? Well, nothing, to be exact. Major League Baseball sends out a nice, sincere apology, and then they move on to bigger issues. The game isn't changed. This happened last weekend in a game between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski was the beneficiary of a phantom obstruction call, sending him to third base and leading to an eventual win for Chicago. Tampa Bay sent in video tape to the Commissioner's office, and they replied with an apology, claiming Tampa Bay was right. Great. The Rays still lost the game.

In this case, the Brewers won in a blowout, so either way, nothing is really effected by this call. Secondly, say MLB does reverse the call and the game is now officially a no-hitter. That's great for Sabathia. Or is it? Sure, his name goes in a nice shiny record book, but that's all he gets. There's no real satisfaction or gratification that comes from it. The best part of a no-hitter is the build up or emotion and anticipation through the late innings, all leading the celebratory eruption once the last out is made. Sabathia will experience none of this.

Are the Brewers going to douse him with beer in the clubhouse a week after he actually pitched in the game? Is that just as good as celebrating on the field after throwing a real no-hitter? Not at all. The point is that what makes no-hitters and milestone hits and cycles and walk-off home runs special is the moment and the energy and electricity that comes with it. The special part is not having your name in the record books. That's nice, but it's not what makes the moment.

And let's be honest, this play happened in the fifth inning. If it is ruled an error, we can't simply assume that the no-no is a done deal. With every out the pressure mounts, and it becomes harder and harder to focus and execute. We know how good Sabathia is, but even Superman would feel that pressure and anxiety. If you are human, there is no way around it. A no-hitter would have been nice, but the Brewers didn't get the call, they won the game, they are looking towards the post season, move on.

* Yahoo! Sports great baseball writer, Jeff Passan, wrote an interesting column about Alex Rodriguez and his inability to come through in the clutch. A-Rod has been hammered for this since joining the Yankees, and you can't say that there is nothing to it. For such a great player, it is bewildering why Rodriguez seems to let pressure get the best of him. It is obvious that he feels the weight of his record contract and feels the weight of being labeled as arguably baseball's best player. With all of that said, I still believe this is a bit overblown.

The critics like to say that, although A-Rod puts up great numbers, "he doesn't do anything when it counts." And, like I said, there is some truth to that. But I refuse to believe that it is that cut-and-dry. Yeah, he's a great player, but he can't hit home runs on command. Baseball is a tough game and you can't control the outcome of an at-bat. You can control how you approach an at-bat, or the swing you put on the ball, but you cannot control what happens after you hit the baseball.

A-Rod was booed mercilessly on Saturday for grounding in to yet another double player with runners on, but the problem is that he absolutely crushed the ball. Is it A-Rod's fault that he crushed it right at an infielder who is paid to catch the baseball? Funny thing is, I'm sure some fans would say yes. But, to me, that is just an ignorant baseball fan. There are plenty of times where A-Rod deserved to be booed. Hey, if a guy is making that much money and doesn't produce when it matters, paying fans have the right to boo. That is all good.

But, at the same time, there needs to be a little perspective, a little understanding of the game. If you are going to boo, make sure there is a legitimate reason. Of course, the question to be answered is, what exactly counts as situations that matter? Undoubtedly, there is a difference between hitting a home run in a 10-2 game, and hitting one in a 2-2 game. The fans have a point there. But more situations actually matter than fans realize.

Some will say that A-Rod's home run yesterday off of Roy Halladay with the Yankees down 4-0 is just an example of Rodriguez hitting "when it doesn't count." What? I'm not a math wiz, but don't you have to get run Number 1 before you can get run Numbers 2,3, and 4? That home run absolutely mattered, because it pulled the Yankees within three runs and gave them something to feed off of. But, it is probably A-Rod's fault that the Yankees don't have enough pitching, right?

* Hey, maybe the Dodgers have a fighting chance after all? Or is this just a tease? That has to be the best 2-8 road trip any team has ever played. After all of that, the Dodgers head home today to play the San Diego Padres, trailing Arizona by only 2.5 games in the NL West race. The Diamondbacks come into Dodger Stadium this weekend, and Dan Haren and Brandon Webb will be on the mound in Los Angeles to redeem themselves. If the Dodgers really want this division, it is there for the taking this upcoming weekend. We'll see.

Steadying The Ship

2008-08-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

We can only imagine what life is like for the Angels and manager Mike Scioscia at this point in time. It can’t be too bad, given their monstrosity of a lead in the AL West over the Texas Rangers, but security seems to be in short supply in Anaheim. You can feel the doubts starting to come back and the questions floating around a clubhouse and a team that has done nothing but prove its worth this season.

But that is how the Angels are perceived throughout baseball; a strong team that is never a sure thing. But, then again, is any team a sure thing? I ask this question because as the Angels enter a four game series tonight with the Texas Rangers, they have lost 9 of their last 14 games, their pitching has been below average, and mediocre arms are shutting down their supposedly new and improved offense.

In other words, this is not how an American League power is supposed to play. As the sporting world goes, what have you done for me lately? And when the topic is the Angels, not much is the answer. But, look, the club could lose every game for the next two weeks while Texas could win every game for the next two weeks, and the Angels would still be the division leaders.

The fans should not be worried, the papers should not be doubting the depth or questioning whether or not the Angels are going to hit enough. The baseball season is extraordinarily long, and all teams go through highs and lows. It just so happens that the Angels have been on one long high since the season started.

That steady climb in production has allowed them to struggle with the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in baseball, and makes them the favorite to obtain home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But they couldn’t keep up that level of play for an entire season. The stock market isn’t great every day; some red figures must be endured. The real estate market takes its hits, and then revives itself and its business as usual.

Same thing in baseball. The Angels were due for a streak like this. The thing that needs to be remembered, is that it is better they do this now than a month from now. Yes, they want to be playing good baseball and have momentum heading into the post season. They don’t want to be stumbling in, wondering how they are going to fare in the first series.

But, luckily for the Angels, their players are going to be pushing until the final regular season game is played. Why? Because there are post season decisions to make and a roster to be made. When Joe Saunders only lasted 1 1/3 innings last night, you could see the expression on his face and how much he was bothered by his performance. He wasn’t bothered only because it was a poor outing, but he knows that every start from here to the finish line is an audition for the post season rotation.

The rotation will have John Lackey right at the top, and there is no reason it shouldn’t. Lackey thrives in big games, and I am tired of hearing how he can’t beat Boston or he can’t quite carry the Angels through. I don’t like to discuss baseball on a start-to-start, or even season to season basis when talking about whether or not a guy can or can’t do something.

Lackey’s numbers have been poor against the Red Sox. There is no denying that. But the same people who claimed, “the Red Sox have his number”, were the same ones saying he is poised to beat Boston after his near no-hitter at Fenway Park in July. I don’t buy either argument.

When Lackey was being roughed up by the Red Sox, I never thought that he wasn’t capable of pitching well against them. At the same time, after his gem at Fenway, I didn’t feel like he was any better off. They are independent events, in my opinion. You cannot simply assume a guy cannot perform well against any given team because he had five or six poor games. Teams change, players change, everything changes.

Behind Lackey will probably be Jon Garland, but I don’t necessarily understand that. I am not overlooking Garland’s post season success; he stuck it to the Angels in 2005, and experience certainly accounts for something. But Garland should have to compete for his spot like any other guy. He has not pitched as well as the other three mainstays in the rotation this season. I will take talent over experience any day. Just ask the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ervin Santana has to be in the post season rotation. There are only a handful of guys in all of baseball that can dominate a game like Ervin can over six or seven or eight innings. Sure, his arsenal would be toxic in the seventh and eighth inning. But it’s toxic regardless of the inning, so you might as well run him out there and let him take over a ballgame.

That leaves Saunders and Weaver to compete for the fourth and final spot, and even the fourth guy probably will not get more than two starts, depending on how deep the Angels go in the playoffs. Saunders has the better stuff and is the better pitcher, but Weaver has been picking it up, and Scioscia will go with the hot hand when it comes time to win games. And he should, regardless of whether one guy was an All-Star or not.

The reason why teams try to get out to big leads like this is so that they have the luxury of time. They can rest their starters, making sure they are fresh for October, and they can give lots of innings to guys who don’t usually see the field. Keeping that in mind, it is silly to get too worked up right now about the Angels lack of production at the plate. And here’s why.

Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson have been getting their rest, making sure the aches and pains are minimal when it is time to win a championship. Gary Matthews Jr. has been filling in for Torri Hunter in centerfield, allowing Hunter to rest his legs and his smile for the bright lights ahead. Mark Teixeira has been raking, and Howie Kendrick has been hitting well when he is playing, although now he will get some rest since he is headed to the DL due to a strained hamstring.

So in essence, all of their regulars, or the guys who are going to actually make a difference in a playoff game, are either playing well or getting something productive out of this stretch. Sure, the wins and losses still matter, and nobody wants the losses to pile up. But the way I see it, if the Angels reeled off five wins in a row, it really doesn’t do them any more good than getting the regulars some rest.

So, what, it’s a good sign if the Angels have been winning with Sean Rodriguez and Gary Matthews Jr. and Juan Rivera in the every day lineup? Those guys are going to have a minimal impact on the post season. Their play now is almost irrelevant; of course, Rivera could be a valuable bat off the bench. But other than that, what are we actually seeing from this Angels team right now? Not much, because a third of the team isn’t even going to be on the field when the ALDS rolls around.

I suspect that Scioscia will rest most of the guys until the final ten games or so, and then their playing time should kick up again, in order for them to enter the post season in a regular groove. Frankie Rodriguez is going to be put out there to pursue the single-season saves record, but that is only another eight appearances, if everything goes as planned.

The pitchers are going to get their innings and the hitters will get their at-bats, but the backups are going to be in higher demand in the next three weeks. Of course, losing is still not acceptable, and Scioscia is going to portray some sense of concern if the Angels continue to drop games, but that is his job. The manager must keep that sense of urgency in tact.

But for the fans and media outlets? We bickered and moaned for the Angels to put together a championship team, essentially Teixeira being the final piece of that puzzle. So realize the situation, and what is actually happening right now. The Angels are not embarking on the most historic collapse in baseball history. Don’t get carried away. They are simply preparing for the playoffs, and that happens just as much behind the scenes as it does on the field. Scioscia has a plan, and we will see it come through in October.

Thursday evening notes

2008-08-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

* After another pitiful loss to the Washington Nationals 11-2, the Dodgers sent rookie Clayton Kershaw back to the minor leagues. Kershaw has struggled over the span of his last four starts, and as much as I hate to see a talent like this get sent back to Triple-A, it was certainly the right call. The Dodgers recalled lefty Scott Elbert from Double-A, and I think it is time that this kid got his chance. Elbert has been a highly touted prospect in the Dodgers system for a few years, but his arrival has been delayed by arm problems.

Lets face it, the Dodgers are in no position to accept poor outings from their starting pitchers, and Kershaw simply wasn't providing the consistency that is needed in the midst of a playoff race. Plus, the kid is twenty years old, so he was already on a short leash. Kershaw had to go above and beyond anybody's expectations to prove that he was one of the five best starters in the organization in order to be kept with the big club down the stretch.

Nobody likes to see a top prospect get yanked back and forth like this, but there is nothing that can be done about it. This is sports and it is a tough world these players live in. You either perform or you don't. And if you don't, you get shipped out and the club will find someone that can. The decisions are as easy as that. It isn't about fairness, it isn't about deserving, it isn't about signing bonuses. Win ball games, or go find something else to do because we can't use you. As they say, be good or be gone.

That is how it works in any professional sport. Heck, that's how it works in any business. Perform or beat it. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the business of winning baseball games. Winning puts fans in the stands and money in the owner's pockets. A losing team doesn't draw, doesn't sell merchandise, doesn't get sponsorships, doesn't get as many advertisements, and ultimately the business fails. Of course, not all of this has to do with Clayton Kershaw, but it is the principle that matters.

If I'm the Dodgers, I let Kershaw finish out his season at Triple-A, and when the minor league season is over, I send him home. Have a nice winter and here is your off season conditioning program. Come to spring training ready to go and win a spot in Dodgers starting rotation. That's it. That's all that needs to be said.

He will be back up in September when the rosters expand, but is that really the best thing for him and the Dodgers at this point? The kid has thrown about 138 innings this year between the big leagues and minor leagues. Give him two, three, four more starts, that will take him between probably 150-165 innings, and that's good. There doesn't need to be any Arizona Fall League in his off season program. There doesn't need to be any Dodger post season push. That workload is plenty for a twenty year old kid.

This demotion sounds like a negative, but for Clayton Kershaw, this year can only be looked at as a positive. Nobody expects a kid to get to the big leagues and pitch the way he has pitched at this age. It's unheard of. He is way ahead of schedule in terms of development, and if he goes home this winter and reflects on all of the things that he accomplished this season and hones in on the adjustments he needs to make to become a more consistent major league pitcher, he has a great chance to be a mainstay in a big league rotation at 21 years old. How great is that? There is no negative there.

But for the Dodgers, this season, and the past couple weeks especially, have been one great disappointment, and they need to put guys out there who give them the best chance to win today. Lowe, Maddux, Kuroda, Billingsley, Elbert. Elbert is going to get his shot, and if that doesn't work out, they ought to put Chan Ho Park back into the fifth spot of the rotation. I scoffed at the notion of Park pitching in the Dodgers' rotation earlier in the year, but looking at it now, he is absolutely one of their better arms. That means it is time to get him the ball and give him a chance to help this team win. Unfortunately, there are tons of questions and few answers in Los Angeles right now.

* I watched a lot of the Cubs-Phillies game tonight, and what an exciting ball game it was. Cole Hamels was awesome, pitching seven innings and leaving with a 4-1 lead. It was the Philadelphia bullpen, and the Cubs offense, that ruined his night. But the moment of the night was Aramis Ramirez' at-bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Cubs were down 4-2, the crowd was going wild, everybody was on their feet chanting for Ramirez, the Phillies bullpen was imploding, Chad Durbin couldn't come within a cheese steak of the strike zone, and it was beautiful moment if you were a Cubs fan. Durbin was all over the place -- fast balls in, fast balls out, fast balls up, fast balls everywhere. He came closer to hitting the batters than the zone.

Durbin walked Derek Lee on four pitches, bringing up Ramirez. First pitch is a fast ball, wildly inside off the plate, Ramirez backing into the Cubs third base dugout to avoid the heater. The 1-0 pitch is a fast ball... bang. Ramirez took the first fat pitch he saw and clobbered it 400 feet into the Chicago night, pushing the Cubs ahead 6-4, leaving the crowd in an absolute frenzy.

Rarely do we have the opportunity to enjoy such a pure baseball moment like that; it was awesome. The stadium was not cheering, they were roaring. They were dancing. Literally. Thousands of Cubbie Faithful bouncing up and down waving their hands serenading Ramirez with the best love a man or woman, a boy or girl could give.

These are the types of performances we have seen from the Cubs this season. These come from behind, clutch wins to keep some momentum going. The Cubs are 6 games up on the Milwaukee Brewers in the division, and they appear as if they are just about to find their stride. Forget all the curses and the jinxes and the century of losing. There isn't going to be a September collapse, simply because of the attitude with this ball club.

Even with this lead and the expectations of the city weighing on their shoulders, this Cubs team looks as hungry as ever. In many ways, they remind me of the Tampa Bay Rays, except with much more depth to their lineup. But, geez, how good is Aramis Ramirez? Ramirez is hitting .284 with a .383 on base percentage to go along with 23 homers and 95 RBIs. Ramirez has to be one of the most underrated players in all of baseball.

Granted, it is tough to garner any attention when you have Chipper Jones and David Wright playing the same position in the same league. That is without mentioning all of the great hitters that we would talk about before we got to Ramirez. But, seriously, it's time that this guy be put front and center on the big stage, because he may be one of the top ten players in the National League. And nobody ever talks about him. The exciting thing about the playoffs is that we always get to see great stories that haven't caught our attention over the course of the first 162 games. For whatever reason they didn't make the front page. Well, for one, I can't wait to see Aramis Ramirez hitting at Wrigley Field in October.

* See, I knew what I was talking about when I mentioned Josh Beckett the other day. I knew that "tingling" and "numbness" were never good signs, no matter how much the club wants to downplay them. This isn't saying that those symptoms automatically give a guy a career-threatening injury. No. All of this really could just be an inflamed tendon. But I have been around enough baseball and enough broken pitching arms to know that those types of things are always precursors for major injury. The major damage may not be done yet, but it is coming if not taken seriously.

It appears now, serious is exactly how the Boston Red Sox are feeling. Beckett was scheduled to return to the rotation tomorrow, but now he has been scratched from that start and is heading down to Alabama to pay a visit with Dr. James Andrews. It is never a good thing when a ballplayer has to go see Dr. Andrews, but this is most likely an overly cautious gesture on behalf of the Red Sox.

In reality, they should have done this sooner. Beckett should have been on the first plane to 'Bama as soon as he "slept on his arm wrong." Pitching arms are just so valuable, and so easily damaged, that whenever there is a concern regarding a joint or a ligament, it has to be resolved. There are other issues that factor into the timing of it all, sure. A guy may choose to pitch through some bearable pain if his club desperately needs him to make the playoffs.

In essence, that is the Boston Red Sox, but at the same time, they are in a position of luxury, or so it feels like. A little bit. A 2.5 game lead is not a big lead, but I feel like those two and half games are a bigger cushion for the Red Sox than for other teams. Doesn't it feel like they can make a lead hold up better than most clubs? They are going to hit, and God knows they are going to get good starts from Dice-K even when he walks 29 guys a game, and Jon Lester will come up clutch, and the bullpen will hold leads. We know all of this will happen. Paul Byrd might even win a couple games. They will find a way to make it happen.

But this is the Red Sox and they have depth, and that's what matters. They can afford to lose Beckett for two more weeks, as crazy as that sounds, and they will still be in a great position to make the post season. Look, they ain't catching the Rays. They can forget about that. Their goal should be to hold off the loser in the AL Central race, and find any way to get a chance to defend their title. The Red Sox don't need Beckett as much to win the wild card as they do to win the World Series.

Boston can keep the ship afloat for the final month without Beckett. I think. But there is no way they are getting to the World Series without their ace on the mound. There's no way. The logical thing to do is to get Beckett checked out, pray it is nothing serious, and then give him all the time he needs to get ready. If the Red Sox are being gunned down by the Twins or White Sox or, heaven forbid, the Yankees, then his timetable to return will be pushed along at a bit quicker pace. But let him rest up and get ready to be the Josh Beckett we know in October. That is when the Red Sox will need him to win games. With Chicago and Minnesota beating up on each other in September, I think the Red Sox can hold one of them off with Lester and Matsuzaka.

Wednesday evening notes

2008-08-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

* You know those times where you know for a fact something is on your mind, you definitely have something to say, but then for the life of you, you can't figure out exactly what you what to say or how to say it? In a weird, twisted kind of way, it is similar to a mother holding her child while smoking a cigarette. What does that have to do with anything? Well that is exactly where the Dodgers have driven me this season. You know there is something wrong with that picture, but you just don't stop to mention it.

I have tried, endlessly, to understand this Dodgers team, only to be mislead and misguided into thinking that they have what it takes to win this division. The Diamondbacks lost again, a day after the Padres pounded Brandon Webb, a guy who never loses. That makes four loses for Arizona in their last five games, certainly their worst stretch of play in some time. The problem is, today marks the fifth straight loss for the Dodgers, failing to take advantage of their best opportunity to gain ground on a division rival that wants them to take the division?

Is there any way that nobody from the NL West goes to the playoffs? Are you sure? There's nothing we can work out? Not even with the devil?

I thought Larry Bowa's comments the other day were rather typical of a veteran coach who had nothing better to say than that the players have been horrible and that they should be embarrassed by their play. That is common during bad stretches; the players are left on an island all by themselves to figure it out.

But, looking back, the basis of Bowa's comments was spot on. The Dodgers should be absolutely embarrassed by the way they are playing and what has transpired in Philadelphia and, now, Washington. The Padres are doing you a favor, Christmas in August, and you go to Washington and lose t he first two games to the Nationals? There is nothing more we can say about that. There is no explaining that.

It's alright if the Dodgers don't won't to go to the playoffs. Shoot, Arizona may not really want to go either. If that's the case, the NL West might as well send the Giants. At least we will have some young, hungry players and some exciting pitching. But the Dodgers need to stop kidding themselves. They need to stop kidding the organization, the fans, the city, anything and everything that they could and will have an impact on. Just stop kidding.

When teams smell the post season, when the team they are chasing is struggling mightily, those teams don't go on the road and lose two crucial games to the Washington Nationals. They just don't. Look, there's a lot to like with the Dodgers, but I just don't know whether or not we should continue to bother to like it. For this season, at least.

Why should we get excited to rush to the ballpark after work or school? For this? Clayton Kerhsaw, Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin -- they were all reasons to buy tickets and wear Dodger caps and hate the Diamondbacks. But should we even bother if they can't beat arguably the worst team in baseball at a time when they could be right back at the top of the division? I'm not so sure. In truth, I have no idea what to make of this Los Angeles mess anymore. The only one hundred percent sure thing I can say today is that USC will travel to Virginia on Saturday, and they should at least put up a fight.

* After that venom overload just now, I was tempted to put the Yankees in the same Dead Bin as the Dodgers, but it is a different scenario. Amazingly, the Dodgers still have a real chance to make the playoffs. Chance just took off his pinstripes and hopped on the D Train back to Manhattan if you are the Yankees.

The odds were against them coming into this series, but I still believed they had a shot. I even wrote last week that I actually had a reasonable amount of belief left. But I said they would have to dominate their remaining games with the Red Sox, and they would need the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins to beat up on each other.

The only beating up going on now comes from the big bats of Boston. And if you're A-Rod, but that's another story altogether. The Red Sox romped the Yankees 11-2 on Wednesday night, officially making this thing a laugher. The Yankees had a chance to pull up right behind Boston in the wild card race if they took care of business at home, but instead the Red Sox are did the manhandling, and they are making sure they leave Yankee Stadium for the last time in style.

Things were looking up for the Yankees heading into this series. They had two of their best starters going in Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina, and they weren't going to face Josh Beckett or Daisuke Matsuzaka. But a poor outing by Pettitte and a To Be Expected outing from Sidney Ponson later, and the Yankees are 7 games back of Boston and officially on the outside looking in to the post season.

Sure, they could pull it back to 6 games with a win tomorrow, but what does that really accomplish? In my opinion, they needed to be two games back at the most going into Boston for the final three games of the season in late September. Theoretically, they still could be. But that is doubtful, and now that series is going to be one big laugher, a celebration of the Red Sox going back to defend their championship, and a joke made of the Yankees who haven't missed the playoffs since 1993.

But, of course, it wasn't like all of this snuck up on us. This is what happens when you don' have pitching. The injury bug ruined the Yankees season, but they can't ride into the off season blaming their misfortunes on injuries. Yes, their injuries were plentiful and they may have made it nearly impossible to succeed otherwise, but every team deals with injuries. Plus, I challenge you to find one person in America that is going to feel sorry for the Yankees and their $200+ million payroll missing the post season. You won't find him or her.

In all likelihood, Brian Cashman will be back next season -- he has done a better job than he will get credit for this season -- and the Yankees will be throwing big dollars at CC Sabathia, and probably Mark Teixeira too. Things would have been different if the Yankees had Chien-Ming Wang healthy and Phil Hughes healthy and Joba Chamberlain in the rotation for a full season. But, in hindsight, those are all things that they are going to have to look forward to next year.

2009 is a tricky thing to wrap your mind around right now for the Yankees because they could be substantially better, or they could be just as mediocre. We will have to wait and see. If everyone is healthy, they are already contenders. And I think they will add one of the big name starting pitchers -- namely Sabathia or Ben Sheets. But what may be the most beneficial for the Yankees is all of the old, expiring contracts coming off the books.

Giambi's deal is up, as is Mussina's , Damon's , and Pettitte's. They will have to deal with Bobby Abreu as well. It will be tempting to bring back a lot of those pieces simply because of the name and the reputation they have built. But it will be imperative that Cashman resist the urge and let them walk. They are great players who have had great careers, but they are not what they once were, and that has been the downfall for the Yankees, not just this year, but in the last five years.

They have always seemed to be one step behind a free agent, nabbing him as soon as he is past his productive stage. They have thrown dollars at reputations instead of current, annual evaluations. It would make sense for the Yankees to lock up Abreu at a reasonable price, and either Mussina or Pettitte at a low cost, but only one of them, not both of them. Mussina or Pettitte will be the fifth starter in a rotation consisting of Chamberlain, Hughes, Wang, Free Agent.

Other than that, it is time for this franchise to completely move on and begin creating a new identity. They have to let Damon and Giambi go play elsewhere. The compensation picks they will receive in return are far more valuable than bringing them back for big dollars and getting sub-par play out of them.

Above all, the Yankees simply look old and worn out. They need to be invigorated by young, hungry players. They need more guys like Brett Gardner-- simply ballplayers who grind out games and do anything to win. They still have their superstars, they don't need any more of those. A-Rod, Jeter, Posada, Rivera. That's enough. What they need are ballplayers who have a ton of a talent and even more desire and drive. They need guys to round out the roster that aren't afraid of the spotlight and just want to win. How else are the Angels doing what they are doing? It is time for the Yankees to leave the free-willy spending behind as they enter the new, behemoth Yankee Stadium, and put a real baseball product on the field.

Sunday morning notes

2008-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

* Just when the Yankees thought they were going to be giving their playoff hopes to Ian Kennedy or another unproven youngster during the stretch run, the biggest surprise of the year came through. That would be Carl Pavano and his return to the New York Yankees. Pavano last pitched in April of 2007, and has been highly criticized by teammates and the New York media for lacking the guts or guile that it takes to pitch in New York. In short, he just didn't want the ball. That's what they said.

Sure, Pavano gave the Yankees next to nothing in return for the four year, $40 million contract they gave him before the 2005 season, but that is a moot point now. What matters today, is that Pavano returned to the Yanks, and gave up 3 runs over five innings, notching his first win in over a year. This comes at a time when the Yankees are trying to run down the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card race, and starting pitching has been a shortage in pinstripes.

Pavano cannot be counted on to return to the mound in another five days, his track record won't allow it, but believe it or not, the guy who could never show up to pitch has an opportunity to give the Yankees the biggest lift of the season, at a time when they need it most. Pavano has a chance to add another quality arm to help Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte keep this team afloat, and Joba Chamberlain is on his way back to the mound.

Wouldn't that be a story? For all that has gone wrong during these last four years and for all the beatings that Pavano has taken in the papers, he has a chance to leave on his terms and repair his reputation. Somewhat. But you don't think the Yankee fans would cheer him in The Bronx if he were to take the ball from here on out? Are you kidding? They would welcome him with open arms if he pitches well and wins for the last five weeks of the season.

Pavano would be New York's favorite guy if the Yankees squeak into the playoffs and he is at the heart of their resurgence. He can do it. He still has good enough stuff to be a capable big league starter, and he is still in his early thirties. Somebody is going to give him a contract this winter, even if that is only a minor league deal and a chance to win a spot on the major league roster in spring training. But an offer will be there. Why? Because it is apparent how starved clubs are for quality pitching, and any time there is an arm that has a chance to make an impact, at least one team will think it's worth the risk on some level.

But, most importantly, the Yankees picked up a game on the Red Sox yesterday, and are now five games back, with a chance to make up some serious ground on their division foe who have their own issues. When we thought this race couldn't get more appealing, we have a great side plot brewing and a chance for a guy to pick himself out of the dumps and push his team to a post season birth. It doesn't get better than that.

* If you talk about the Yankees, you have to touch on the Red Sox. Hey, I didn't make the rules. I wrote last week about Josh Beckett's sudden "tingling" in his fingers and how the Red Sox didn't think it was a serious thing and that it most likely is from him sleeping on his right arm. Then I added that it may be minor, but these types of symptoms should never be taken lightly when it comes to pitchers, and especially a guy like Beckett who is so crucial to the future of the Red Sox.

Now we are seeing why this news is never subtle happenings. Beckett was penciled in to pitch against the Yankees on Tuesday, but now he has been scratched from that start, and there is no timetable on his return. The Red Sox aren't sure what his diagnosis is, and I'm sure they will be working diligently to come up with an answer in the coming week. But what we do know is that Beckett is still feeling some tingling in his arm and now the Red Sox have revealed he has some inflammation in his elbow.

Now, inflammation could be a number of things. What pitcher doesn't have some inflammation at this time of year? On the other hand, inflammation is the first step towards serious arm trouble. We aren't suggesting that the Boston ace may be heading for Tommy John surgery just yet, but I'm telling you that it is not uncommon for things to start out like this, and all of the sudden when the discomfort doesn't subside, it is revealed that serious damage has occurred. That is simply baseball and part of pitching. Hopefully for Beckett and the Red Sox, all of this really is just a little inflammation and he won't be out too long.

But this a big blow for Boston. The White Sox are right on their heels in the wild card race, the Tampa Bay Rays have built themselves a 5.5 game cushion in the AL East, and the Yankees are beginning to lick their chops in hope for a September push to October. Without Beckett, the pressure of an entire city falls on the shoulders of Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and that may be a little too much to handle for those guys. If there were ever a time for Paul Byrd to prove his veteran worth, this would be it. They need him. Quickly.

* It was only a short time ago that the youthful Marlins took two out of three from Philadelphia and then headed to New York for a weekend series with the Mets that I dubbed as a series to watch because it would most likely tell us a lot about what we didn't know about the Marlins and the reality of their season. Meaning, do they really, actually have a chance to keep up in the NL East race with the Phillies and Mets?

As it turns out, the fairy tale season of Florida is dwindling, and the youth is catching up to them in the thick summer heat that engulfs every late August and early September. The Marlins fell to the Diamondbacks on Saturday, dropping them six games back of the Mets in the division, a long shot at making any kind of run. Florida simply isn't as deep as the Mets are, and they fall extremely short in experience.

But, hey, this isn't a negative. Who expected the Marlins to be two games over .500 on August 24? Nobody. After they dealt away Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, and their highest paid player is closer Kevin Gregg, and A-Rod makes more by himself in one season than the entire Florida roster combined, this was surely going to be the first season of a long recovery plan. But amidst all the home run balls from Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla and Mike Jacobs, the Marlins made a name for themselves and kept themselves in the race.

And then their young pitching began to come around, but now it is just too late. Florida has overachieved this season by all standards. There is a lot to be excited about in that franchise for the years to come. That is, if they can keep Uggla and Jacobs and Willingham in uniform. They have a stable of young pitchers that should allow them to build a contender for the next few seasons. Chris Volstad and Josh Johnson and Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco and Andrew Miller are all good arms that can win ball games next season.

The problems run deep in that franchise, though, and with a fragile fan base and a makeshift ballpark, the Marlins are constantly in a contend-demolish cycle. The baseball fans of South Florida need to realize there is some talent on the Marlins club. The club needs to get out of Pro Player Stadium and into some new digs, and then they will be able to start building a foundation for a successful franchise. But the pieces are there, and this season should give all of the young kids invaluable experience.

* Many people within the baseball industry believe that the Dodgers are going to come out of the NL West, but with five weeks left to go, we are sitting here waiting for that to happen. Sure, there is no question that Manny Ramirez has energized that club and that city like nobody else could. But the fact is, the Dodgers are 11-10 since acquiring the slugger and they cannot afford inconsistent play if they want to chase down Arizona.

The Dodgers are three games out of the division and still have a great chance because they play Arizona head to head another six times before the season is over. On top of that, the Dodgers play the San Diego Padres another nine times, they have three games against the Washington Nationals next week, they have three games against the Colorado Rockies, and four games against the Pittsburgh Pirates remaining. If the Dodgers truly deserve playoff spot, they will roll through that soft portion of the schedule and can put the pressure on the D'backs to keep up.

More so, the Dodgers play San Francisco six more times, but those game will not be patsies, if for nothing more than the fact that they will probably face Tim Lincecum twice, and the Los Angeles-San Francisco rivalry is always fierce. The opportunities are there for the Dodgers to make what they want out of their season, but they can ill afford to ride an inconsistent wave of pitching and hitting from here on out.

The Final Season it is, The End it isn't

2008-08-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

**NOTE- Part two of Ballpark Banter's NYC trip.

There is a place in New York where you don't need to be told what rests there. The address is a piece of history, a destination for the greats. It is a mixed bag of emotions, one that can bring you up and knock you down, equally. There have been many euphoric nights, and plenty of desperate afternoons, but all of it plays a part in what will be remembered.

161st Street and River Avenue.

That is where the Bleacher Bums of Section 39 make their home, verbally dismantling the enemy, as well as members of their own. There isn't any room for mediocrity here. When visitors wait over an hour to take a five minute stroll through 100 feet of dedication beyond the left center field wall, there is no time for struggling ballplayers and sinking organizations. The fans won't allow it.

Yankee Stadium has been not only a significant symbol in baseball history, but an everlasting icon in American sports. It is arguably the grandest sports venue in the country, and not many would dispute that. There are more retired numbers than jerseys who fill out the starting lineup. The ballpark was designed in part for one guy, the guy who would take this franchise and make it the alpha dog of the sport, Babe Ruth. Magic happens here; failed dreams do not.

The grandiose facade lines the inner perimeter of the park deep behind center field, stretching to the left and right, as visible as the ivy at Wrigley. All great parks have something that is unique to them, a factor or trait that sets it apart from the rest. There is no shortage of that here. Too many parks today are built for keeping the attention of the younger fans; I thought that was what the game is for?

Here, the stadium levels stack on top of each other like a perfectly manicured wedding cake, creating an arena where the eyes funnel down to the playing field. Talk about a spotlight. You don't come here to peer at the sky and fill your time with wonderment. There are too many impatient supporters, men and women who love you today and despise you tomorrow. Get a hit and you are the man, a guy worthy of wearing the Yankee Pinstripes. Strike out, and see you in them minor leagues, you bum.

Nobody said life in the big city was fair, so harsh it will be. As any one of the Section 39 regulars will tell you, they don't come to the games to watch $200 million drift away in the cellar of the American League East. This franchise has been more than that, it has done too much to go home early in the last year of this Yankee Stadium. But, sometimes, there is only so much you can do in this game, I say. Baseball will humble the best of them, and that is the problem with greater than life expectations. It leaves you among the incapable of handling adversity.

I walked into Yankee Stadium, this one, for the final time, thinking that it would be the last time that I would ever see anything like it again. It would be the last time that I feel the ghosts or Ruth and Gehrig, the final games before all the lore packs up and heads corporate. This would be the last time that I could envision all of the championships and thrilling post season nights that came to epic climaxes on this field, chills racing down your spine as you stare at the television, thousands of miles displaced from it all.

I figured the new ball park would have more of a Manhattan feel, big money and bright lights overtaking the real reason why these fans have come to The Stadium for all these years. I was forcing myself to grow accustomed to watching just another money guzzling entertainment entity find new ways to prosper. After all, this is a business and all businesses are in it for the bucks, so why is this such a big deal?

There would never be the feeling of David Cone or David Wells throwing no-hitters and 55,000 strong up in a roar, knowing they just witnessed the next great chapter. At the new place, it would just be useful background noise to all of the millionaire business executives. That's not baseball.

At the new place, heroic home runs deep into dark, October nights would be launching pads for stock and advertisements; it certainly wouldn't be the moment that defines a good year or a bad year for the people of The Bronx. Aaron Boone would be a nice name for an invester; it would not be the unlikely man behind one of the Stadium's biggest home runs. Post season magic reminding us that big dreams sometimes meet big realities.

The new digs, I thought, would be a nice shiny amusement park for all -- even the opposing team could pay their fare and ride unlimited. There would be no intimidating aura pouring out of the rafters, the type of intensity that actually makes you feel a bit unsafe. The Bronx isn't supposed to be home sweet home.

That was what I thought before I sat down for two long days at the ballpark and soaked in the remaining hours of the building that has provided my greatest childhood memory, bar none. That's when my mind changed. I got to the ballpark two or two and half hours before first pitch -- and it was packed. How are there lines two and a half hours before game time? I don't know, but there are. Big ones.

Thousands of fans dip into the street side bars before walking through the gates, all of them in their seats or wandering around for batting practice. Where else do you see that? Batting practice feels like a rock concert here, fans roaming around trying to get the best glimpse at the favorite stars. At least in this city, the baseball players are the main attraction.

There are loud fans, rude fans, obnoxious fans, subtle fans, conservative fans, happy fans, mad fans, down right angry fans. But they are all fans and, more importantly, they are all there. Never have I been to a place that breaks down a game pitch by pitch like Yankee Stadium. I tried to put my finger on what creates the atmosphere, and I couldn't come up with something that complex, because in the end, it really isn't.

The difference between the average baseball city and this city, is that the game and the team and the outcome means everything to them. Not a little bit, not a lot. Everything. They wait out the work week to come to Yankee Stadium to yell at opposing players, yell at their players, yell at opposing fans, yell at their own fans. I'm sure some of them ridicule their mothers from time to time. It's just the way it is. It's nothing personal, it's business.

The energy is still there, and the mystique is still there. It is hard to get a great feel for one of the more mesmerizing venues when playoff contention is a long shot, but that almost made the environment that much more interesting. That unveiled whether or not these fans come out for the good times and pack it in for the bad. As we found out, they are there regardless.

When it's good, it's great, and when it's bad, it's absolutely horrible. But the passion remains, the hatred for anything non-Yankees is the strongest emotion in the park, and the great thing about it all is that the community is bonded by the New York Yankees. Other teams have large fan bases, but the Yankees have villages. The game doesn't begin with the first pitch and end with the last out for these guys. They wear out the bars over Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner. And don't get them started on Carl Pavano.

Sure, we are less than 20 games away from closing down the most storied stadium our country has ever seen. But, after getting a first hand look, the new park is going to be better than this one. I believe that. It certainly is time for a new stadium, a fresh venue that can be broken in with big home runs and championship banners. Every generation passes along something. It just happens to be that the greatest generation I have seen in my lifetime is going to pass along legends, and myths, and passion, and All American venom.

We don't know how the new Yankee Stadium is going to feel at its outset, but I can guarantee that there will still be lines 3 hours before the game, the streets are still going to be blocked with Jeter jerseys, and the logo is still going to shine like Broadway. Better get there early; the ghosts have a much shorter walk than you do.

Wednesday morning notes

2008-08-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

* You hear some good things on sports radio, and then you hear some things that are absolutely baffling. Yesterday, a sports show talk host out of Cleveland, trying to be bold and come up with the Prediction Of The Year, told America that the Rays are not going to make the playoffs. The host said that they would slip out of it at the end and the Red Sox would take the division.

All of that is fine; opinions are just that, and everybody is entitled to their own. What was baffling was that this host claimed that the Red Sox are a better team, therefore they would win the AL East, and the Yankees would take the wild card because, "right now... the Yankees have a better team than the Rays." What?

Now this isn't meant to bash this radio host, not at all. This is simply to introduce the topic of the Tampa Bay Rays and how they are perceived throughout baseball. I find it a little ironic that the Rays are playing the Angels right now in Florida, simply because the Rays are in the same position the Angels were in a few weeks ago. The Rays are good. Very good. They just don't get any respect because of their history of losing.

The Angels have been a great team this entire season, but it took the Mark Teixeira trade for many people to open up and consider them among the best teams in baseball, if not the best. That is the concept to me that is absurd. We don't even have to mention that the Rays took the first two games of the three game series this week, to claim the talent of this ball club. These two teams have the best records in the American League, and could possibly match up in October.

The loss of Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria to the Rays are big injuries; those are two of the premier offensive threats in that lineup. But this is how baseball works, fellas: When you have pitching, you have a chance. And Tampa Bay has an abundance of pitching. They have a rotation full of guys that are capable of shutting down an offense on any given night, and keeping the team in the game on most nights. They will get Longoria back in September, but it is the pitching that is going to carry them to the post season.

I'm not convinced that the Rays are going to win the division, because I feel like Boston has another run left in them, but they very well could and it wouldn't be surprising at this point. But the Rays will make the playoffs, simply because they pitch better than any team not named the Angels, and that may be a tie. Injuries are part of baseball, but I would rather lose some hitters than lose arms. Pitching wins.

* Some discomforting news out of Boston this week. Josh Beckett is being pushed back a start due to some "tingling and numbness" in his right arm. The first evaluation suggested that it was nothing serious and that it could have been from simply sleeping wrongly on his arm. Lets hope that is the case for the Red Sox, because if they lose Beckett to any serious injury, they are near finished. Due to their lead and the rest of their team, they may still hang on to the Wild Card, but that would be about it. Without Beckett, they don't have the pitching to win a seven game series.

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester would have to be unbeatable to give them a chance, and that just may be asking too much. Paul Byrd would be required to come up with some big games, and although he is capable, that is not a sure bet either. And Clay Buchholz has spent the better part of the last month just trying to find himself as a major league starting pitcher again.

It will be interesting to see who wins the AL Central, because the loser may make a case for the Wild Card, and that is what would haunt the Red Sox if Beckett goes down. Both the White Sox and Twins have proven that they are playoff worthy, and both teams are going to be gunning for October.

* We know how good CC Sabathia has been since being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. The man is a complete game waiting to happen. There has been a little noise made over the Brewer's decision to keep Sabathia in the game in his last start, a game where Sabathia ended up pitching all nine innings in a 9-2 ball game, throwing 130 pitches in the process.

I'm not overly sensitive about pitch counts and using pitchers and all of that; in fact, I think starters are on too short a leash. But sometimes you just have to wonder the reasoning behind some decisions. I understand the Brewers thinking regarding Sabathia. They are only going to have him for a few months since it is apparent that they won't be able to pay him the dollars in free agency required to keep him in town, and it appears as if they are just going to ride him to the playoffs and hopefully a World Series.

It is a bit selfish, using him knowing that you won't be dealing with him at the end of the season, and Sabathia's health is his problem, and the team he signs with, problem. What we know is that the mess will not be in a Brewer uniform. As fishy as that may be from an ethical standpoint, that is the business. But where I am confused is, where do these types of decisions have an impact on the Brewers this season?

They are supposed to keep Sabathia healthy so they can make a run in October, right? If that is the case, you would think that the Brewers would reduce the risk of injury or breakdown by preventing him from pitching meaningless innings until they get to the playoffs. The last couple innings in a 9-2 game against the Astros are meaningless. If it's against the Cubs? Ehh, a little more sense. Barely.

But we all saw Sabathia break down in the post season last year after a huge workload, and that was the single biggest reason why the Cleveland Indians did not make it to the World Series. Sabathia will surpass the 200-innings bench mark in his next start, and at this rate, the big southpaw could pitch somewhere around 250 innings before we even get to post season play. Of course, this may be no indication at all of rough outings come October, but given his history, why would you risk it? Maybe Sabathia will continue to get stronger. Who knows? But it will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out and if this excessive use will have any serious ramifications on not only the Brewers, but Sabathia as well.

* The Dodgers have to be ecstatic that they have Greg Maddux back in town, a reliable guy to fill the fifth spot of the rotation for the stretch run. Maddux doesn't have stellar numbers, but his sub-4 ERA is encouraging, and Maddux can probably do more with less than any other guy in the big leagues. He will not shut teams down or pitching 8 innings, but Maddux can give 6 or 7 good innings relying on great movement and command.

This transaction has plenty of positives for the Dodgers. Not only does this lessen the burden of losing Brad Penny for probably the remainder of the season, but there is no way to quantify what kind of effect Maddux has on the rest of the pitching staff. Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley benefited greatly from sitting with Maddux in the dugout in between their starts, and now they have a chance to continue to do that.

What is the most exciting is that finally, Maddux has a chance to bring a long a phenom in Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw may have the best pure stuff of anyone on the entire Dodgers roster, and that talent is starting to show as he is getting more consistent by the start. With Maddux as a mentor, Kershaw's development will undoubtedly surge at a rapid pace, and if the Dodgers can make the playoffs, Kershaw may end up being one of their most dominant starters. But more likely, he will be put in the bullpen to give them another power arm in the middle to late innings. It is hard to imagine Joe Torre not going with Maddux, Derek Lowe, and Chad Billingsley in the playoff rotation. If they need a fourth, it is possible that Torre goes with Kershaw over Kuroda, but not likely.

No news to spread, New York City's beat simply goes on

2008-08-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

**NOTE- This is part one of a two-part segment for Ballpark Banter's weekend trip to the Big Apple.

It was late, and the sun had been long gone over the skyscrapers, nestling to the West for the night. What was to be expected, nobody knew. Not you, not me, not the cab driver, not the airline pilot. What would the feeling of New York City be like nine years later, given the events of 9/11 and the years since? Would it be hostile? Would it be closer? Would it be paranoid? Or, maybe it would just be the same?

As it turns out, it was a little bit of all of those, the final product being a wonderful place to live, work, and call home. Was Central Park still massive and engulfing? Check. Did the Empire State building still mark Uptown Manhattan like cauliflower ears mark a boxer? Check. Did the Statue Of Liberty still stand upright, its flame acting like the one finger a champion would raise in victory? Check.

On all typical first glances, there was more similarity than expected. The city still bustles like never before. Times Square is a gridlock of taxi cabs and meat trucks, all with a destination in mind and no clear path in sight. Downtown Manhattan and the Financial District still reek of money and prosperity, with business men and women keeping a discernible tempo while moving along the streets. These people have places to go and things to do.

The subway system has been well kept despite the inevitable wear and tear due to its age. It is not a difficult city to navigate given the metro system and a map. A car is utterly useless, unless you reside well outside of the city and relying solely on the subway for transportation isn't reasonable. Other than that, first-time visitors will have it down in a day.

Construction is never-ending in New York, the city and its people always looking to expand, always looking to improve. Scaffolding and construction workers hammered away on nearly every street corner, but that is probably a constant for a city with 50,000 people per square mile. There is maintenance that needs to be done to keep up with the use the metropolis gets and the beating it takes due to its millions of guests on a daily basis. New York City without construction is like Los Angeles without a freeway system. Unimaginable, to say the least.

If anything, over the last nine years you may have expected the citizens of the city to grow a little more wary and a little more cautious and possibly a little more closed off in an attempt to protect themselves. If that turned out to be the case, how could you blame them? But that wasn't at all the case upon arrival and that won't be the lasting impression of Round Two in what we can officially call one of the best cities in the world, from first hand experience.

Sure, it is not a love-fest, and you still need to be careful, but that's how it is in any major city around the world. Large amounts of people attract crime and corruption. It has always been like that and always be that way. But that's a given, not an unique trait. There are slight lingering effects in Downtown Manhattan, near Ground Zero, but they are very, very minimal. Walking down Wall Street, only a couple blocks from where the World Trade Center stood, I caught a few people anxiously looking to the sky as the rumbling of an airplane above overtook the block for a handful of seconds.

Coincidence? Maybe. But not likely. The people are not paranoid to the point where any noise in the sky causes an immediate panic down below, but you can bet the memory of that day is still extremely fresh in the minds of those who were performing their usual morning routine -- bagel, coffee, newspaper, office -- in the early morning hours, only to have the biggest boom of the city's history dropped on them without warning.

It has been about four years since I was in the front seat of a buddies car when he rear ended the car ahead of us; the crunching noise and the jerk forward is still burned into my memory. Luckily, the person ahead of us was our friend and it was only a fender bender, but I'm still scarred, and for that exact reason am always in a position to brake when in close traffic. And that was a small little accident. Multiply that by 1,000,000 and we might begin to realize how the usual Wall Street goers feel today.

But that was about where the signs of the effects begin and end, and that is a testament to the faith and perseverance of New Yorkers. What the terrorist attacks did to this city, amazingly, was bring it all together and unify the workers, the tourists, the cab drivers, the waiters, the mail men, the police officers, everybody. There is a warmth present throughout the city today that wasn't quite as tangible before.

I remember the city before being almost a larger than life phenomenon. The lights were brighter, the horns were angrier, the shouts were louder, everything was magnified. It was an abundance of emotions on steroids. You felt as if you were just a tiny little part of something so much bigger than one person, almost as if the city treated you like a visitor who would be in and out in no time.

Looking back today, we are all certainly a small part of a large community that is more important, but that is not how you necessarily feel. People were friendlier; they went out of their way to help a stranger, without being asked. "Pleases" and " thank you's" are more sincere now than they ever were before, or so it seems.

The octane of the New York is still crippling because it fills your lungs and doesn't allow itself to escape, but that is what makes you feel at home in a place where you normally would feel lost. The city is "manageable", with a sense of being and purpose in place to help you around. Not once did I feel like I didn't know what I was doing in a city that is known for its toughness and vigor.

The overriding thoughts around town are simply life as usual. The clock keeps ticking and the people keep on living. In retrospect, there is nothing else that can be done, but sometimes amidst national tragedies, it seems as if "carrying on" is an insurmountable task. It isn't wrong to wonder sometimes, "how are we going to overcome this?" That is a natural feeling that I'm sure crossed every New Yorkers mind in the fall of 2001, but if you looked at them today, hopping along their city streets, always having somewhere to get to, you would think the city is better than ever. At some point, you get over the feeling of wonder and the belief to tear through obstacles instead of fear them comes through. This place has done that and then some.

There is still work to do, undoubtedly. NYC will take on a completely new life in 2012, the estimated year that the construction of the "Freedom Tower", the building, or buildings, put in the place of the nonexistent WTC will be complete. That will give this city a brand new energy, and fresh baptism to kick off the following years of life as the East Coast knows it. The hole in today's sky will be filled with tomorrow's sense of hope and triumph, and the neighborhood of greatness will carry on in grand fashion.

You can't ignore the big elephant in the room; the skyline is incomplete to this day, and there is no denying that. The space will not be filled for another four years, and even when it is filled with what will be the tallest building in New York City, it will symbolize growth and strength, but it will not replace what was previously there. Nothing can repair what was done and there is nothing that erase the pain of the memories and the vivid terror that captures the square block where acts of evil took place.

But what we need to take away from this experience is the peace that comes with knowing that the city is stronger, the country is stronger, and we are all stronger due to the events that took place. Do we wish it never happened? Obviously. But life follows its unabridged path and we can struggle upstream, or we can ride the current and direct ourselves to the next goal, the next dream. That is what the city and people of New York have done. The city doesn't feel sorry for itself; it simply picked up the pieces and continues to welcome the newcomers into an aura of richness and an environment of gratitude. Believe me when I tell you that the Big Apple is better now than it has ever been.

Rain delays can't damper return to The Bronx

2008-08-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

Expeditions make the news, mainly because journals are written by courageous explorers, justifying their undying desire to discover. Family road trips are remembered, and at times reenacted, largely in part due to the pictures, video, sound bites; a true blitzkrieg of memories. Packing the bags isn’t necessarily about the destination, more so about the journey, the path to be had.

We aren’t talking about moving to a foreign country, leaving for college, or following a job opportunity away from what is referred to as “home.” Those all have their benefits and spotlights, but baseball trips are better. Excuse us at Ballpark Banter if we are a bit giddy in the coming days.

There will be a shortage of notes and columns from the home front, but only because The Banter will be coming to you live from New York City and Yankee Stadium. There will be baseball talk, there will be hardball stories, thick chalk lines of this ever so addicting mantra that we have come to learn and practice. We are heading to the Big Apple to see what has transpired over the last nine years – or seasons, to some of us – and to examine and relish in the beauty of The House That Ruth Built one last time. A reunion, of sorts.

Of course, as this is being composed from the air, soaring somewhere above a relentless mass of chocolate, jagged terrain that we call the United States, there is only so much we can do. No headlines to pursue, no story lines to follow, no statistics to calculate and ponder. But maybe that is the beauty of this? Those are superficial measures that provide some clarity and coverage of baseball, but they do not completely connect us to the game. Why?

Because numbers, gossip, “breaking news” – none of it connects with the soul. Calloused hands, bruised ribs, discolored barrels due to utter obliteration of baseballs – now that is what we are talking about. I would imagine all of these things are worked out during rain delays. That is the idle time that we have to dispute repeated sentiments and pledge for our stories, our teams, our players, our guys.

Idle time is certainly what we have had on our hands so far today. Due to poor weather in the New York area, our scheduled flight was delayed over three hours and we are now on pace to touch down at JFK Airport sometime between now and Thanksgiving, the wee hours of the sleepless city well upon us at that point. The novelties of travel.

It is only natural to complain to the heavens when you have wasted hours and hours in a humid terminal, no boarding luck in sight, only to taxi to the runway and be furthered delayed. I can’t blame my fellow passengers for the animosity; it's human. But then I got to thinking, we don’t have this in baseball.

Oh sure, there are rain delays, and there are the days where clubs wait on the darkness of clouds only to be told four hours later that the game isn’t going to be played. And just for kicks, batting practice is at 10 tomorrow morning because have a twin bill to play.

But rain delays are filled with card games, jokes, stories, and childish pranks. The fact that our game is decided by the players, not a bundle of chips and wires that portrays a countdown of empty digits, allows us to appreciate even these slows times. Where else would we see players stuffing pillows inside their jerseys, doing their best impersonations of Babe Ruth, only to run around the bases and entail a splash landing at home plate. There is a time to keep the game moving, and there is a time to appreciate the way that it handles adversity and inconvenience.

But that was a side note to the delay; everyone in the terminal – from the security guard, to the loud hulk of a woman breaking down the shortcomings of airline service, to the Muslim matron, placed at the right of my highly convenient corner seat, fulfilling her daily prayers on her religious rug – was wondering something of the sort.

So a slight negative it was, but this is an attempt to make a positive out of one of the more tedious rituals, or so it seems. This weekend is in conjuncture with the last trip, at least in terms of the memories and getting back to the place where a love for baseball was showered with cool water and sunned by rays of infectiousness. At nine years old, there was a lot that flew by and didn’t attract more than a glimpse. New York City was sprawling, incapable of being contained by the imagination of a youngster.

Yankee Stadium was a cathedral that you knew about even though you were born 3,000 miles away, with no Jeter, Rivera, Williams, or Cone to juxtapose your hometown baseball experience with the rest of the country. That was the magnitude of the arena, and still remains that way today. But, of course, we do not sit in the same place as we did nine years ago.

Times have changed, baseball has changed, and, on a larger scale, life has changed, at least as we know it. Judgments will be reserved until after witnessing the change first hand, at a time when the dots have been connected and I can really say that what I remember is real. That will come. But the vivid assortment of recollections will always remain, because there is only one first.

There will never be another “first” for me when it comes to walking through the concourse of Yankee Stadium and placing those innocent pupils of adolescence on the field where legends, that I only know because of record books and charcoal photos, played. But there will always be “another.” That, I can assure you.

Naturally, every experience is a different one, but that is the beauty. Our ability to compartmentalize allows us to store the nostalgia for a later date, trim the excess shards of misplaced memories, and bottle up an adventure that cannot be altered, only enriched and expanded.

I remember driving into the city for the first time, a cool, crisp, October evening, the sky coated with a soft gray, and the skyline fit like a jigsaw puzzle. There were no clouds to cramp the electricity that be, but at the same time, there was a cap to the atmosphere, a bottling of the world that you were entering. It was a secure feeling, one that let you knew you were in the middle of “it.” What was “it”? Heck, I didn’t know at the time, and still may not.

But the city is different than anything else. You know the feeling you get when you sit out underneath a high, starlit sky in the desert, wondering about the surroundings? This was the exact opposite. There is a feeling of closure when you enter the bright lights. Broadway may make stars, Wall Street may house millionaires, but Manhattan itself is what makes this feeling of unity.

Of course, this wasn’t any day in New York, either. It was the eve of Game Four of the 1999 World Series, so you can imagine the hype and scent of baseball’s best in the air. Honking horns? Sure. The crack of the bat? A bit better.

There are only so many people that could have crammed into Yankee Stadium on that night, but there was no limit to the number of eyes and ears that would be open to the events. New York didn’t make the World Series, it didn’t make the Yankees. It was completely the opposite, at that point in time. The buzz was palpable, unforgettable to the last fading mind. There wasn’t anything you could do about it. You were trapped and forced to embrace. This was enduring a labor of love, sans the labor.

There is a reason why Lady Liberty is among the most popular postcard photos, and the World Trade Center used to be a symbol for the strength and global power of everything American. That feeling, I’m sure has not left. If anything, I expect to experience a greater sense of passion amidst the buzz of this country’s most bustling miles. Overwhelming, it may be.

Ballpark Banter will be taking a close look at what has changed since the last trip to The Bronx. Hey, this is a different time for the Yankees. We know that going in. The inaugural trip was filled with postseason dominance and the hanging of championship banner No. 25. Jeter was a pup, A-Rod was in Seattle, the Braves possessed what we may look back at and call the best starting rotation in baseball history, and there were no such talks about court dates and steroid scandals.

There would be one more World Series championship to follow for the Yankees, that being their whooping of the cross-town rival New York Mets in the 2000 Fall Classic, and then the franchise would endure a few years of ring-less contention. No, we don’t feel sorry for them, but it hasn’t been the same since we were there.

Today, it appears as if the Yankees are not going to qualify for post season play in what is the final season in Yankee Stadium, as the injuries have mounted and the pitching depth is beyond exposed. We aren’t talking shallow pools of ignorance here. This is the Niagara Falls, and we ain’t lying about that.

At the same time, my calendar reads August 14, which means there is still six weeks left to play and the Bombers are within shouting distance of the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card race. They will have to dominate the head to head match-ups with Boston from here on out, but it is nothing that isn’t doable. This is baseball, mind you.

Time and space aren’t plentiful enough to fully chronicle Round One, but the building blocks for a sequel are in place. Round Two kicks off in a couple hours, and what it will entail, only Ruth and the Mick know. But what is rest assured, is The Lady will stand at attention, the skyline will shine bright despite its loss, and The House That Ruth Built will beckon. A different trip? Absolutely. But a better weekend? Unheard of.

Wednesday morning notes

2008-08-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

* When word first broke regarding the slugfest between the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers last night, I simply shook my head and laughed because it seems like 19-17 ball games are the types of thing that happen when you play in Arlington, Texas. But then to find out that this game wasn't in Texas, it was at Fenway Park in Boston, made this game even more intriguing. Why? Well. for a few reasons.

There has been recent word about David Ortiz having a little concern regarding his left wrist, the wrist that caused him to sit out more than a month's worth of games due to a torn sheath. I made it a point to keep a close eye on Ortiz's production because that would be a huge determining factor in deciding if the Red Sox can really make a strong push for the division title and put some pressure on the Tamp Bay Rays.

I think Boston is still in position to make a run at it in September, but not if Ortiz can't hit like we expect him to. Even with Jason Bay in that lineup, it isn't the same as it was with Manny Ramirez, therefore making it all the more important that Ortiz carry the slack of the run production. On Tuesday, Ortiz was 3-for-4 with 4 runs scored, 6 RBIs, and two home runs. Both of his home runs were 3-run shots, and both of them came in Boston's 10-run first inning. Guess that wrist is feeling fine, after all.

A good story took the mound for the Red Sox Tuesday, as 28-year-old knuckleballer Charlie Zink made his big league debut. It's tough to be a knuckle ball pitcher in the major leagues, and I would imagine that it is even tougher being one coming through Boston's system, simply because on of the best knuckle ball pitchers in history, Tim Wakefield, has called Fenway Park his home for some years now and has won some big games for the Red Sox.

Well Zink got pounded on a night that it didn't pay to be a pitcher at Fenway Park, and Zink was yanked after giving up 8 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Zink was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket after the game, making room for the newly acquired Paul Byrd.

Wakefield's injury and the lack of true, big league ready pitching in the minor leagues, made the Byrd pick up a great one for Boston. Here is a guy that can fill in and take the ball every fifth day, and you know approximately what type of performance you are going to get. You aren't going to get the games that you may get from Beckett or Lester -- the utterly dominant ones -- but you also aren't likely to get the stinkers that rookie Clay Buchholz has been putting out lately.

Byrd will stabilize the rotation, minimizing the damage until Wakefield returns from the DL. Byrd also provides a backup option in the post season, or a fourth starter in case manager Terry Francona decides he wants to go with a 4-man rotation instead of a 3-man rotation come playoff time. For a player to be named later or cash considerations, picking up Byrd is a great safety net for the Red Sox.

* The Yankees can't catch a break, at a time when they are trying to find themselves quickly enough to make a push for the wild card. Derek Jeter fouled a ball off of the instep of his foot last night in Minnesota and had to leave the game, and he is questionable for today's game. If Jeter can't play, that would be the fourth impact piece New York is missing from their lineup.

But, really, if you are the Yankees, the problem is simple. Their lack of depth in the starting rotation has been brutally exposed this year, and there really is nothing they can do at this point besides continue to run the guys that they have out there and hope they come up with some big performances. They don't have anyone to bring up from the minor leagues, and there is nobody on the waiver wire that really could make an impact.

The Jarrod Washburn ship has sailed, and it would be pointless for the Yankees to give out a prospect and/or pay the remaining dollars left of the left hander's contract when the guys they have now are going to have to step up if they are going to contend for anything in September. But, hey, the Yanks won Tuesday, so lets see if they can't get a run going here.

* Speaking of The Bronx, Hank Steinbrenner told us all we need to know about the state of the Yankees yesterday when he came out talking about "how good the Yankees are going to NEXT year" and that "we are really going to be dangerous NEXT year" and that "we will do whatever it takes... if that means add a veteran starting pitcher for NEXT year." I don't think I have ever seen that kind of talk coming out of Yankee Stadium on August 12 in any year of my lifetime.

It is apparent that Hank sees where this ship is heading and that he figures he might as well beat the team to the destination. I'm not too sure what to make of all of this, but it is clear that the Yankees are on the verge of simply embarrassing themselves, if they aren't doing that already. For a team and franchise that is supposed to be all about winning, don't you think talking about "next year" when you are five games out of the wild card with more than forty games to play is a bit hypocritical?

The Yankees have a shot, but only if their pitchers go on a streak here where they carry the team. Is that likely? No. So, Hank, round up your dollars and put together a package for CC Sabathia, because that will be the only way to secure some sort of winning future for the Yankees.

Tampa Bay X-Rays about to be tested

2008-08-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Nobody thought it was going to be easy, did they? For beginners, did any of us think the Tampa Bay Rays would have a 4 game lead over the Boston Red Sox and a 9 game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East as we sit here, on August 12, and ponder the stretch run? We couldn't have, so the latest news out of Tampa Bay shouldn't be a surprise to any of us, really. The young, ebullient ball club that has taken the American League by a fury of long balls and power arms is about to face their first big hurdle of the 2008 season.

Carl Crawford and rookie Evan Longoria have been dynamic pieces amongst a Tampa Bay club that refuses to play down to its history, but rather looks forward to challenging the reigning powers that be in the greater East. As we approach the middle of August, the baseball season setting up for its September sprint to post season play, the Rays are going to be without Longoria and Crawford for at least the next three weeks. Crawford went down with a hand injury after being hit by a pitch, and there are rumors that it could entail season-ending surgery if rehab doesn't come along as planned.

Longoria -- team leader in home runs (22) and RBIs (71) -- suffered a fracture in his wrist after being drilled by a pitch from Seattle's JJ Putz. Longoria was placed on the 15-day DL Monday, and it seems like three weeks for a broken wrist is nothing less than wishful thinking, but we shall wait and see. Crawford has had a sub-par season by his standards, but he was tied with B.J. Upton for the team lead in runs scored (69) before he went down. Crawford is such an athletic player that we have been waiting and waiting for him to explode into the superstar that he is capable of becoming. We have to remember, though, that he is only 26. It seems like he is much older because he was rushed to the big leagues when the franchise was in dire need of any sort of young talent.

At the worst, Crawford plays a good left field and him and Upton could arguably be the fastest tandem in any major league outfield. But the last thing to do is sit here and feel sorry for the Rays, because that is not going to help them win any ball games, much less win the division and advance to post season play for the first time in team history.

Certainly, none of their division rivals are going to send get well cards down to Florida, as every one is experiencing their share of casualties, and nobody has it worse at this point in time than the New York Yankees. The Yankees have been without ace Chien-Ming Wang for the majority of the season, and their new gun, Joba Chamberlain, found his way to the DL last week with "rotator cuff tendinitis." Add that with the loss of catcher Jorge Posada, and the Yankees have problems of Times Square proportions to worry about.

The Red Sox are trying to get by without Tim Wakefield, who was tied for second on the team in innings pitched before he went down, and a turbulent relief corps outside of closer Jonathan Papelbon. Couple those issues with the loss of Manny Ramirez in the lineup and the futile bat of catcher Jason Varitek, and the defending champion Red Sox are not as invincible as they seemed to be at the outset of the season.

The Rays have already set a franchise record in wins -- winning their 71st on Sunday -- and they still have 45 games to play. So, what to do now is the question? That will be for manager Joe Maddon to decide, and it will also be of his utmost importance to plug the holes with sufficient stopgaps in order to keep this club chugging along, hopefully, until they can get their presence back in the middle of the order that will come with the return of Longoria.

The Rays were reluctant to go and get a bat at the trade deadline, mainly because they didn't feel like the asking price -- i.e. any of their stable of top prospects -- was worth bringing in an average rental. They were right on that front. Of course, I'm sure General Manager Andrew Friedman didn't expect to lose two of his better hitters a couple of weeks after the deadline. It is possible that the Rays acquire a bat via the waiver wire, but that is unlikely.

It is reported that Willy Aybar will take over as the regular third baseman in Longoria's absence, and newly recalled outfielder Justin Ruggiano will split time in left field with Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross. It is imperative that Hinske and Carlos Pena step up and be the much needed runs producers during this stretch run, and any contribution from the severely struggling Jonny Gomes would help.

Tampa Bay does have oft-injured Rocco Baldelli back with the big club, and his return to the big leagues is a great story all in its own. Baldelli, who is still only 26, was one of those great, promising prospects coming up about the same time as Crawford, after he was taken by Tampba Bay with the 6th pick in the 2000 MLB Draft -- one year after Crawford was selected. But a back, a hammy, and slew of mysterious afflictions later, and Baldelli hasn't been able to stay on the field for any extended period of time.

The tools that made Baldelli a can't miss, five-tool prospect should still be there, but the question that remains is whether or not all the time off from baseball has hurt his instincts? I have to say that they shouldn't have diminished too much -- if at all -- and that Baldelli could turn out to the player in 2008 that the Rays were hoping to get in 2004. What a blessing in disguise that would be at a time when this franchise has a chance to write the first indelible chapters in its history books.

Maddon has been a master at challenging this young club and getting them to respond to what he puts on the table, and that may be what's needed even more now than before. With a ball club that appears to be as hungry as this group is, a little more sugar and spice to the attitude may make them forget that they should be crumpling this time of year, especially with a couple of their stars not on the field to help them fight off the Red Sox. Maybe Maddon will play the "chip on the shoulder" angle, telling his players that nobody expects them to hang on to this lead and that the baseball world is waiting for them to begin acting like the Tampa Bay team we have come to know over the past decade. That should fire them up, shouldn't it?

But the way I see it, this is merely an opportunity for the Rays to once again prove that the old baseball adage is true: Good pitching beats good hitting. And, fortunately for the Rays, good pitching is not in short supply at The Trop. This next three or four weeks could be nary a hiccup in their march to October baseball relevance, thanks in large part to a group of power arms that have carried this club until now.

Scott Kazmir and James Shields don't shy away from the spotlight, and every time we see them pitch we come away with the impression that they relish the spotlight and the opportunity to go muzzle to muzzle with the alpha dogs of the American League. That is a presence that surely should remain constant, and that is before we get to the young arms of Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, and Andy Sonnastine.

What's more, as scary as this sounds for opposing teams, the best arm in the Tampa Bay franchise hasn't even found his way to Tampa Bay yet. That would be left handed phenom David Price, the 2007 first overall pick who is blowing away hitters in Double-A. Price surely will be a September call up, but in my humble opinion, should be called up now. There is no time to waste and no seemingly appropriate reason to wait.

Price is so good that he may force Sonnastine to the bullpen, simply because he could be a front line starting pitcher in the big leagues right now. If they put him in the bullpen to limit his innings, that's fine; he will be a major impact in the late innings, much like what the Cubs are doing right now with Jeff Samardzija. But with a big gun like that, why not run him out there every five days and form a five-man rotation that doesn't allow one day for an opponent to breath?

If you are Joe Maddon, turn the circumstances into a positive and make your pitching staff believe that they are in a position of strength -- which they are -- and that they have an opportunity to carry the team by stepping on the throat of the rest of the American League East and making every New Englander ever so giddy to say "wild card." Old Man River, aka Troy Percival, is back and healthy at the back end of Tampa's bullpen. Let's not forget who the big man was fist pumping on the mound in 2002 when Darin Erstad nestled the final out of the World Series into his glove in right center field, giving the Anaheim Angels (name at the time) their first championship in club history. That would be our guy Percy.

These are definitely unfortunate circumstances for a young team that is on the cusp of doing some great things. Great things for baseball, and great things for their city. There is no denying that fact -- hey, it stinks to loser players like a Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria with six weeks left to go in the regular season. But this is Experience Test Number 1, and we are going to find out how they handle it. They can dwell, or they can pitch. They can complain, or they can compete. Is Maddon's club of relentless ballplayers tough enough for big league drama? I'd have to say I believe so.

Monday morning notes

2008-08-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

* Brandon Webb pitched his way to his MLB-best 17th win on Sunday in the Diamondback's 6-1 over the Atlanta Braves, making the Dodgers' habitual collapses that much more painful. Arizona stretched its lead over the Dodgers to 1.5 games in the National League West after the Dodgers bullpen couldn't hold on to a win for the second straight game.

The Dodgers had every chance to sweep the weekend series at San Francisco and had every reason to be first in the division as they come home tonight to open up a series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Saturday's lead dissipated in the ninth inning amongst Jonathan Broxton's wayward fast balls and sluggish breaking balls. Late inning heroics disguised in orange and black clad produced a walk-off win for the Giants Saturday, and then we came back to see more of the same on Sunday afternoon.

Manny Ramirez put the Dodgers ahead with 2-run double in the eighth inning, making it 4-3, and Joe Torre brought on Hong-Chih Kuo to pitch the final two innings. Kuo survived the 8th but then was brought back out for the ninth to record a two-inning save. Torre was reluctant to use Broxton on Sunday after he labored in the ninth on Saturday evening. Long story short and some shaky defense later, and the Giants were celebrating on the field once again.

These are the things that make us question the Dodgers. The common occurrences of squandering leads and sending off division leads in the mail. The Dodgers have the talent, the ability, and the veteran presence to beat out Arizona for the NL West crown, but will they do it? That is a question nobody can answer at this point, and is the reason we shake our heads in bewilderment and look towards tomorrow without surprise. I would not be shocked if the Dodgers surge to the finish line and take the division title, nor would I be surprised if they reenact their 2007 collapse and hand the playoff birth to the D'backs.

We can't make much sense out of these games, as the inconsistencies are too overwhelming. But one question that I am forced to ponder after witnessing these divisional games is simple: Is the current playoff format best for baseball?

I like the whole idea of division rivals and one extra team playing for the wild card spot. But what I like even more are the best teams in baseball getting into the post season and getting a chance to play for the World Series. The Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Mets, Marlins, and Phillies all deserve to be in the playoffs more so than the Diamondbacks or Dodgers at this point, and yet three of those teams will not get in. How can this be right?

This is not a black and white problem; there are drawbacks to any and all decisions, consequences for all actions. As I would love to see the four top teams -- i.e. the ones with the best records -- get into the post season, I would hate to lose these great, spirited September ball games between division rivals. Therefore, I am not exactly proposing that baseball change the playoff format, but it is something that is quite amusing and is worth mulling over. What would you rather have?

* If there is one positive to take away from this weekend for the Dodgers, it is the assurance that Los Angeles will finally have their best team on the field, or so it seems. Joe Torre said Sunday that Andre Ethier would receive greater amounts of playing time, and heading down the stretch, it will be Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Manny Ramirez in the outfield. We have been pushing for this for some time, and I'm sure hundreds, if not thousands, of Dodgers fans across Los Angeles have been befuddled by the regulatory omission of Ethier in the everyday lineup. Hey, this isn't about liking Ethier or disliking Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre. From a strictly baseball standpoint, this makes the most sense because lineups ought to be constructed with the best players on any given roster.

* What a great series it was in Chicago this weekend -- the one at Wrigley we mean in this space. The Cubs took two-of-three from the Cardinals and stretched their lead over St. Louis to 7 games in the NL Central. With Milwaukee sweeping Washington at home, the Brewers sit 4 games back of the Cubs.

The weekend at the Friendly Confines had some great stories and some not so great, but all of it wrapped up a great baseball weekend. We had Jim Edmonds smacking two home runs against his former club on Friday afternoon, giving him 15 on the year. After Edmonds' start in San Diego, did anyone think he would have this kind of impact with the Cubs? Not me, certainly, but credit to Chicago's front office for seeing an opportunity worth the low risk.

Edmonds has stabilized the Cubs' lineup with a left handed bat, one capable of driving in runs behind Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and he has filled the void in center field, a position that he still plays so elegantly despite the decrease in speed. Throw in Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome, and the Cubs have guys that can get on base and drive the ball. All of this is without mentioning DeRosa or Theriot, two professional hitters that would fit well into any lineup.

St. Louis took Saturday's game by pounding Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano, setting up Sunday's nationally televised rubber match. Ryan Dempster came up big again, something Wrigleyville is getting used to this season, and pitched the Cubs to a 6-2 victory, his 13th win of the season. Amidst the ball game was the departure of Chris Carpenter. Reported as a triceps strain, Carpenter has struggled through a long road of recovery after undergoing Tommy John Surgery last July, and to lose him so quickly after his return would be a heartbreaker for the Cardinals. It shouldn't be anything too serious, so hopefully Carpenter can be back out there for his next start, or the one after that. I would love to see a healthy Carpenter and Wainwright back with St. Louis for the stretch run, making this NL Central race all the more intriguing.

* The Angels completed a sweep of the New York Yankees on Sunday by way of a seeing-eye single. Nobody thought the ground ball that came off of Chone Figgins' bat was going to slip through the infield, but Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit couldn't come up with it. Manager Joe Girardi and even the Angels' bench were surprised that little effort was made to stop the ball from squeaking through the infield and effectively allowing the winning run to score.

Not only does this sweep bury the Yankees in the AL East, as it drops them to 8.5 games behind the Rays, but it puts them 4 games out of the wild card and there is serious chance that the post season could be Yankee-less for the first time in Derek Jeter's career. New York players expressed a real sense of urgency following Sunday's loss, with Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte among the guys saying that time is certainly running out and the Yankees need to put it together or realize they will be going home once the final regular season game is played at Yankee Stadium.

Nobody knows what really happened on that play that got through the infield to end the game, and only Robinson Cano knows what kind of effort he gave, so we cannot question the guy. But Torii Hunter was among the players in the opposing dugout utterly surprised that Cano didn't attempt a dive to at least knock the ball down and prevent the run from scoring. That is not a good sign if you are the Yankees, when the other team is beginning to question the effort on the field. If that really was the case -- and we don't know for sure -- than the Yankees are done. A lackluster attitude doesn't mix well with a substantial deficit in the standings.

Angels batter and bruise Yankees, expose their wounds

2008-08-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

When Ian Kennedy arrived at Angel Stadium Friday afternoon to prepare for his return to the big leagues, I'm sure the former Southern California Trojan didn't have this type of homecoming in mind. The rookie probably played and replayed in his mind what his outing would be like in the stadium close to the home where he grew up, and none of those reruns ended like the real thing on Friday evening. But in some twisted, ironic way, that is just about how this whole season has gone down for the Yankees.

Kennedy, called upon to give the Yankees a lift in the absence of Joba Chamberlain, lasted two-plus innings, surrendering five earned runs on nine hits, as the Angels enjoyed a second helping of batting practice en route to a 10-5 whooping of the New York Yankees. The loss for New York came at an inopportune time, as a Boston loss to the Chicago White Sox presented an opportunity to pull one game closer to the Red Sox in the wild card race. You only get so many chances.

The Angels came out firing from the beginning, with Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick providing banner nights in a game where stand out performances almost went unnoticed due to an entire team effort -- every Angels' starter except for leadoff man Chone Figgins had at least one hit Friday evening.

Hunter did his best in clearing up the base paths, going 4-for-5 with a home run, 4 RBIs, and a triple short of the cycle. Hunter merely continued his torrid second half -- the center fielder has hit .355 over the last four weeks -- and is providing the knock out punch of a gauntlet that consists of Vladimir Guerrero and Mark Teixeira in the middle of the Angels' lineup.

Kendrick added four hits and an RBI from the seventh spot in the order, raising his season average to .331. With the acquisition of Teixeira, who is hitting slightly over .300 since coming to Los Angeles, the Angels have taken depth and offensive balance to different levels. Kendrick is one of the best kept secrets in the major leagues, and he has quietly become a star at second base with the Angels, mainly because there is Guerrero, Teixeira, and Hunter to shine the spotlight on.

Jered Weaver struggled against the Yanks on this night, but this was one of those games where the pitcher is picked up by his offense and carried to a win. Weaver gave up 5 runs over 6 innings, a byproduct of his lack of command against a great hitting lineup. You didn't have to ask Weaver after the game whether or not he had his best stuff or if he was happy with his performance -- there was plenty of visual evidence on display from the seats, mainly after every Yankee that crossed the plate.

But this game was only partly about the Angels. The Angels have enough cumulative points that they already know they don't have to attend the final exam at the end of the semester. These next two months are about grinding out the rest of the season, trying to get healthy and enter October baseball with rhythm and confidence.

What makes the Angels a great ball club was visible in the first game of this three game series, but it wasn't the most obvious thing that struck Angel Stadium during the ball game. The Yankees inability to send consistent pitching to the mound was like the gigantic Coors Light billboard that stalks the center field batter's eye -- no matter where you sit in the ball park, the view is relatively the same. They are both right in your face, relentlessly reminding you of the product.

Joe Girardi probably could have used a couple cold brews after enduring the latest slaughtering of Yankee arms not named Rivera, Chamberlain, or Mussina. No amount of Darrel Rasner or Dan Geise is going to save the New York Yankees this season; that is the cold, hard reality of the situation in The Bronx. The Yankees' downfall is certainly not a lineup that still remains one of the deepest in all of baseball, threatening on its worst nights, purely terrifying on most other evenings.

When you have Jeter, Rodriguez, Abreu, Giambi, Nady, Cano, Damon et al., you still have a chance until there are no more games left on the schedule. Problem is, the docket is shrinking quickly, and it may be too late when Chamberlain and possibly Chien-Ming Wang get back. The Tampa Bay Rays may be out of sight in the division and the Red Sox could have the wild card wrapped up when we are chugging down the final weeks of September. That is going to be a tough sunflower seed for the Yankee brass to swallow, but at the very least, it shows them how much work they need to do in the off season to get this club back to a serious level of contention.

The Yankees have done a great job of proving one thing over the last eight seasons; good, young pitching wins championships, not old pitchers who used to be good or an array of highly-popular, hardly-productive aging veteran hitters. If there were a stock on Wall street labeled 'NYY', the morning work bell would never ring; that bell is reserved for corporations who have a chance of being in green figures at the end any given day.

Gone are the days of a young Andy Pettitte, a dominating Roger Clemens, and a bullish David Cone. I don't see any of the same attitude with this New York club that those guys possessed when summer turned to autumn and rings were fitted. The aura has left the Yankees, and left through that sixty foot, six inch escape route in a hurry. Say what you want about David Wells, but he had guile and attitude and he spewed venom when he took the mound. Do you see any of that today, or am I the only one blinded by the inept?

Mariano is the rock of the entire staff, but there is this neat, little trick about closers -- you have to get them the ball with a lead for them to be meaningful. More times than not, the Yankees can't do that, and that is why they continue to struggle against all of these young, hungry teams who are fighting to make a name for themselves. Nobody fears playing the Yankees anymore. Nobody. Heck, the Angels can't wait to play the Yankees.

The Yankees used to go on the road, and they were feared. They would come into other people's homes and tell them what's for dinner and what time to go to bed. What's it like today? Lets just say the real New York Yankees are on timeout, and they have been there for the last five years -- i.e. ever since Josh Beckett put them there in October 2003. During their championship years, you could forget about going into The House That Ruth Built and seriously frightening that ball club. The sheer mystique of the ball park and the electricity and vigor of the fans was too much for most clubs to handle.

All of that has dissipated in the past decade, and the reason was in the box score Friday. It read: Kennedy, Rasner, Bruney. This is no knock on Ian Kennedy. He is a rookie who hasn't had much time to adjust to the big league and big league hitters, and he needs to be given a couple seasons to really show what he can do. Of course, New York is the last place to get that time to settle in and find a groove.

Rasner is a sixth starter -- remember Aaron Small? -- who will be searching for a new club to play for by next season. Or at least that's how it should be if Hank Steinbrenner is serious about returning the Yankees to playoff prominence. Rasner has a chance to make a great living in the big leagues and win some games -- just not in Yankee pinstripes. He needs to go to a small market in the National League and feast on weak lineups. The San Diego Padres and spacious Petco Park would be great for him.

What restores aura, dominance, and that ever so important mental edge on the opponent? Enforcers on the mound. The Yankees need to gather a stable of power arms and then they will be on their way to living up to the history of the storied franchise. Constructing a winning club and creating an undeniable swagger begins on the mound. The Joba-Wang duo is a good place to start, but that can only be the beginning for the Yankees.

If Brian Cashman is serious about bringing championships back to New York, and he has to be since his job is evaluated annually based on winning, then he will do anything it takes to bring CC Sabathia to the Yankees and have the big, burly left hander throw the first pitch in the new Yankee Stadium on Opening Day 2009. The Yankees should forget about throwing out tons of dollars for Teixeira or Manny Ramirez; they have the bats. The sole reason why they are being treated like the American League's step child rather than the legal guardian they claim to be, is because they don't have the horses to power the buggy.

For every Clydesdale the Angels run out to the mound, the Yankees offer two pretty ponies. For every pertinacious bulldog the Tampa Bay Rays hand the ball to, New York spoon feeds a doggy treat to their cute poodles. If you are the New York Yankees, and the loyal fans of the Bronx Bombers, enough is enough. Memo To Hefty Hank: It is evident that big arms coupled with big confidence win at any point of the season, and apparently you don't have enough of them.

I wish every Little Leaguer could have been at the ball park Friday to watch the Angels play baseball. Think of how many kids would have gotten a first hand look at how to run the bases? The only thing worse than the Yankees irrationally thinking they can contend this season, or any season in the future, by giving the ball to Rasner, Geise, Ponson, or another hurler of the same ilk, is witnessing how many Yankee fans respond to any sort of heckling with the same, stale "How many rings does your team have? That's what I thought." comeback that should be outlawed by now. The Yankees haven't won a championship in eight years, and they certainly haven't gotten any closer to reaching the summit of baseball, either, since then. What the Yankees did when Ruth and Berra were patrolling the clubhouse has no bearing on winning baseball games today. Foolishness in action, I say.

Come to think of it, maybe that is the exact problem with the Yankees. The organization, from top to bottom, is living off of the past and their previous reputation. Reputation has credibility for some time, but at some point, those same reputations need to be reinforced or else they merely become distant memories, supplanted by the newfound actuality. The New York Yankees that I knew when they were actually dominating teams and winning championships is as distant as any memory can be in my mental baseball warehouse.

The Angels have a great club that keeps pushing towards tomorrow after fulfilling today. But better than that, they give themselves a chance tomorrow by assembling great pitching today. The Yankees need to stop using "We Are The Yankees" as a crutch, and start building their organization around winning principles. Hate to break it to you, fellas, but Principle Numero Uno stands sixty feet, six inches away from home plate. If the flat fast balls and hanging breaking balls weren't enough to separate the Angels and Yankees on this night, maybe the Halo Fun Run was enough to startle the New York front office just a bit. And there I was, ignorant me, all along thinking 'Big Bang Friday' was in regards to the post game fireworks show. Live and learn. The Yankees could now benefit from some of the latter.

Friday notes

2008-08-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

* This was no miracle, but it was certainly what the doctor ordered for the Dodgers, given their combative division race and recent taxation of their bullpen. Clayton Kershaw answered the bell in a big way for the Dodgers on Thursday, pitching them to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, good for his second big league victory. Kershaw's one-run ball over seven innings lifted up a Dodgers team that needed to restore order in their Midwest swing and head into San Francisco with some momentum.

Thursday's outing marked three straight solid starts for Kershaw, a confidence booster to say the least. Kershaw was recalled from the minor leagues in July to join a rotation depleted from injury, and he promptly got knocked all over Coors Field, surrendering five runs and causing a complete game's worth of doubts. Credit to Joe Torre for backing the kid and saying that he was going to remain in the Dodgers' rotation for the rest of the season, most likely, and he was not going to be competing for his job on a start-to-start basis.

Kershaw has responded by growing on the mound, his fast ball command improving, and his pitch efficiency becoming more evident. There is nothing talent-wise that Kershaw is not capable of, and he could very well end up being the Dodgers best starter by the time the season is over. Torre realizes the talent he has and the contribution he can make to the club, and that is why Torre will keep handing him the ball down the stretch with a division title on the line. The Dodgers need him if they have plans of overcoming the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Manny Ramirez hit another home run in the Dodgers' win, making that 4 in his 6 games in Dodger Blue, and this redundant obliteration of the baseball has been welcomed enormously, and there is not much more we can say about Ramirez and what type of hitter or player he is. For now, our job is to sit back and enjoy the show. But what is more telling about Ramirez and his impact on a club is not what he does entirely on the field, but what others around him have to say about adding him to the club.

Sure, we have seen the negative side to Ramirez, as that was well documented in Boston. But Torre repeatedly says that Ramiez makes their lineup much deeper and "catches the attention" of their opponents. With Ramirez waiting in the middle of the order to drive in runs, the opposing pitcher has to go after Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, and Jeff Kent a little more aggressively in order to minimize the at-bats Ramirez has with runners in scoring position.

Russell Martin has repeatedly said that Ramirez' looseness and zeal for the game has rubbed off on the clubhouse, and especially the younger players on the club. When young guys see how much fun one of the greatest hitters in baseball has and the joy and passion he takes to the ballpark every day, sometimes that is an eye opener and they realize that they can dominate the big leagues while treating the game like it should be treated -- i.e. like a kid's game. This "approach" to the game on a daily basis could prove to be the difference between playoff baseball and October golf trips for the Dodgers.

* A quick note on Manny Ramirez and the recent controversies surrounding him, although it is very likely that Man Ram has no idea about any of it, since his world seems much simpler than that of the rest of us, but the elephant in the room is there. Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig are "looking into" Manny's final week or so with the Red Sox and whether or not he purposely pulled himself out of the lineup or didn't put forth a professional effort because he was upset his contract situation was not solved quickly enough. I'm not sure if I have ran across a bigger joke in my life than this so called investigation. On top of that, many Boston reporters make it well known about how Manny dogged it and is a selfish player, and how they are "sure" these factors will play a major role in his contract negotiations this off season.

I'm not saying these opinions are wrong. Did Manny dog it in Boston? Sure. Did he act like a spoiled, selfish player at times? Absolutely. What I don't agree with is how many people are acting like this is some sort of revelation around baseball and that Manny Ramirez is some sort of villain who is out to ruin the game of baseball. They act like Manny is the only player who is guilty of these charges.

Go out to a big league ball game some time and watch the players run around the field, see how they get down the line on a 4-3 ground ball. There are a ton of players who jog down the line at times, plenty of guys who don't scorch the outfield grass like Darin Erstad used to in his prime. Manny Ramirez isn't the only big leaguer to jog out ground balls. Manny Ramirez isn't the first superstar to make his displeasure known when he doesn't like his contract situation. And he isn't going to be the last. Major League Baseball needs to open up their eyes a bit and realize this is a league-wide problem and it is a corollary of dealing with highly-paid superstars. Dump this ridiculous investigation, and accept the fact that there are different rules applied to great players simply because of what they are capable of doing on the field.

* One of my favorite rivalries in baseball, Cubs-Cardinals, kicks off again today at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals are coming off a series win against the Dodgers and the Cubs took 2 out of 3 from the Houston Astros. The Cardinals are six games back of the Cubs heading into the weekend, and they are 1 game back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the wild card race. This is a chance for the Cubs to bury the Cardinals and make the NL Central a two-team race.

The Brewers entertain the Washington Nationals for three games, so they are going to take at least two of those. Either way, somebody is going to be gaining some games this weekend, whether it be the Cubs on the Cardinals or the Brewers on the Cardinals or the Cardinals on the Cubs. There will be movement, and we should get a good look of how the division is going to shape up after this weekend.

* Possibly the biggest series of the weekend is taking place at Shea Stadium in New York, where the Mets host the Florida Marlins for three games. The Phillies lead the NL East by 1.5 games over the Marlins heading into Friday's play, with the Mets only a 0.5 back of the Marlins. Florida is still proving doubters wrong, and they will have to do that throughout the remainder of the season, simply because there won't be many true believers given their young roster and recent history.

But I think the Marlins are for real and, as I'm not convinced they will win this division or make the playoffs, I believe they do have a real shot at it, though. Florida just went into Philadelphia earlier this week and took 2 out of 3, and they have a chance to go into New York and make their name there. What a great road trip that would be and a huge confidence booster for these young Marlins if they can go on the road to their two biggest division rivals and get the best of them.

The Phillies still have questions regarding their starting pitching and their bullpen in front of Brad Lidge, and the Mets are holding their breath on Pedro Martinez and John Maine. Florida, on the other hand, seems to be peaking and they are playing their best ball during the most important part of the season. The Marlins can hit with anybody; they will launch the ball out of all ballparks, led by Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez. What has kept the Marlins from being a great club is their inconsistencies on the mound, but their young staff, led by Rick Nolasco, has made unbelievable strides in the second half, to the point that they are a legit contender. Many people aren't sold on them, but I'm telling you, they have a better chance than you think. Watch out.

Thursday morning notes

2008-08-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

* Manny is being Manny and the Dodgers are, well, continuing to be the Dodgers, with the inconsistencies that have plagued them in 2008 still lingering. Ramirez added another 2-for-4 day on Wednesday with another home run -- his third as a Dodger -- but Derek Lowe unlatched the parachute and the proceeded to walk the Dodgers off the cliff into the Grand Canyon of oblivion. Apparently a few flat sinkers will do that to a man.

Ramirez has provided pop and then some to a lineup that has struggled to string together any sort of consistency, albeit helped along by the revolving in the outfield and continued at-bats for Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre. Matt Kemp has taken his game to a completely different level, beginning to scratch the surface on the dynamic superstar he is capable of becoming. He can be a true power-speed threat, and couple that with his improving ability lay off the borderline, or slightly off, pitches and the Dodgers have one of baseball's brightest stars.

Andre Ethier hasn't said a word as he has seen his at-bats decreased considerably once Ramirez came aboard, and then of course there is Joe Torre who refuses to give up on Andruw Jones, writing his name in the line up every other day, hoping something might click. Maybe a little pre-game yoga and Zen Master session with Man Ram will do him some good. Ethier has taken advantage of his opportunities, and he still hasn't been rewarded for it. He was a staple of the Dodgers' offense, hitting over .300 when Pierre was on the DL, providing another run-producer to go along with James Loney in the middle of the lineup.

All of those things are positive, but we still ask when are the Dodgers going to put it all together? They have a good rotation and an even better bullpen, but yet it seems like the pitching staff can't come up with a big game when the Dodgers need it most. The offense is improved, no doubt, but it isn't going to score 8 runs a game.

Lowe was hammered on Wednesday night in St. Louis, surrendering 8 runs over 3 1/3 innings, with an Albert Pujols grand slam followed by a Ryan Ludwick solo shot driving the final nails through his outing. The Pirates pulled something short of a miracle and beat the Diamondbacks and the rejuvenated Randy Johnson, but Los Angeles couldn't capitalize.

Clayton Kerhsaw takes the mound today for a matinee affair, and the Dodgers need a big start from him for numerous reasons. This is a pivotal game for the Dodgers, who are searching for a little momentum before heading into San Francisco Friday night to begin a weekend series with their division rival. More so, Kershaw has to get deep into the ball game today, as the Dodgers' bullpen has been heavily taxed given Tuesday's extra-inning game and Lowe's stinker on Wednesday. There is too much talent on this roster to think that they aren't going to find consistency at some point here. Good thing for them, they are still easily within reach of Arizona. The D'backs and Dodgers have six more games remaining between them this season, and the NL West title and corresponding playoff birth may come down to who fares better in head-to-head play.

* Have to talk about Ryan Ludwick for a couple seconds here, because the guy has been one of the more amazing stories in baseball this year. Ludwick, a 30-year old outfielder drafted out of UNLV in 1999, has not been a household name before this season began, with only a handful years of service time to his name. Ludwick had never hit higher than .265 coming into 2007, and even that was over only 136 at-bats with Cleveland in 2003.

Ludwick came to the Cardinals in 2007, and he hit .267 with 14 home runs in 303 at-bats, a solid season but nothing spectacular. After the season was over, manager Tony LaRussa told Ludwick before he left for the off season that he was going to give him a legitimate shot to win a starting outfield job in 2008, and that LaRussa and the rest of the St. Louis personnel would be taking a serious look at him when he came to spring training.

Ludwick came to camp in February, began his work in preparation for being a major contributor in 2008, and he hasn't looked back. Ludwick didn't "win" the starting right field job. "Win" suggests that LaRussa actually had a decision on his hands and he chose Ludwick for the job. No, Ludwick took the job and put a death grip on it, regardless if LaRussa had him in his plans or not. How did he do that? By hitting, hitting, hitting some more. Ludwick's home run on Wednesday night was his fifth straight game with a homer, tying a franchise record. Coming into today, he is hitting .307 with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs, providing a stabilizing bat behind Albert Pujols, a commodity that the Cardinals have been searching for throughout Pujols' tenure with the team. Ludwick is putting up an unbelievable season, and should the Cardinals make the post season, he deserves to be mentioned in discussions for the NL MVP award. He may go over-looked, but that does not take away from the season he has had.

* Either this just ain't meant to be, or the baseball gods are really trying to challenge the New York Yankees and first-year manager Joe Girardi this season. Maybe both. Losing their ace Chien-Ming Wang wasn't enough for the Yankees to overcome, so Joba Chamberlain had to bite the injury bug as well. Chamberlain was placed on the 15-day DL Wednesday with what the team is diagnosing as "rotator cuff tendinitis". Joba was sent to see renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Alabama and Dr. Andrews was responsible for reviewing Chamberlain's MRIs and providing the diagnosis.

The Yankees still have a shot at backing their way into the post season, but with Chamberlain going down, if even for only two weeks, things have never seemed so grim in The Bronx. The Rays are barreling towards September and the Red Sox are doing their best to stay in the hunt; stay in control of the wild card at the least. New York is never out of it given their lineup and ability to pound out ten runs on any given night, but we need to be real here; pitching wins games, pitching gets you to the playoffs, and pitching wins championships. That has been proven time and again.

Ian Kennedy is be recalled to start Friday against the Angels, and maybe the rookie right hander has a better go-around his second stint in the big leagues. But Mike Mussina is living on the edge every time out given his stuff at this point in his career, Andy Pettitte has had a few rough starts lately, and Sidney Ponson and Dan Geise aren't going to be leading the Bombers to any playoff miracles. So, honestly, I'm not sure what there is left in New York, not sure the options that Girardi has left with his club. If Geise and Ponson are starting on their big league roster, they obviously don't have any better options down in the minor leagues. The Yanks can hold out a little hope that Phil Hughes can return shortly to help them out and - gasp! - Carl Pavano takes the ball a couple times before the season is through, but both of those odds are probably somewhere around the same odds winning the lottery. It's not pretty in New York, and at some point soon, the fans are going to realize that Yankee Stadium may be heading out in regular season fashion.

Watered Down

2008-08-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

Quick ascension to big league prominence is nice, rewarding, and common place for some of baseball's brightest stars, but nobody said it was the most satisfying. The minor leagues turns boys into men, replacing hope with confidence, supplanting timidness with will and tenacity. The fruits of minor league buses and small town wages are juicier in Baltimore, and Chris Waters is one who can attest to that.

Waters, a 27 year-old left handed pitcher who has spent 9 seasons in the minor leagues, made his big league debut for the Orioles Tuesday night and promptly one-hit the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over 8 innings, taking care of the dirty work in a swift 2-hour, 17-minute 3-0 victory at Angels Stadium.

Waters was impressive in his execution and his superb poise was eye-opening. You had to be a pure baseball fan to enjoy what we witnessed Tuesday evening, because the performance sure wasn't going to jump off the mound at you, although those numbers would bungee jump off of any morning box score, regardless of the name. Nothing was stunning, besides the body of work, and there were no moments in particular that would make SportsCenter. Not that type of game.

Chris waters doesn't have a big time fast ball; those don't spend nearly a decade in the lower levels. Chris Waters doesn't possess an outstanding breaking ball; those get their opportunities rather quickly. Nope, Chris Waters didn't even have a change up cut from the Johan Santana mold; those separate minor leaguers from big leagues upon first look.

What Waters brought to the mound Tuesday was composure, assertiveness, resiliency. A swagger that has been tested through nine long seasons of cheap, bare-bone baseball captured the presence that proceeded to stamp the name at the forefront of the Orioles pitching staff and shut down an Angels offense that has taken the step from very good to vaunted with the addition of Mark Teixeira in front of Vladimir Guerrero.

It was a testament to the pitchability of Waters that he carved up the lineup that bolsters baseball's best record. He located his fast ball with precision; a scalpel more so than a bull dozer. The southpaw dumped his curve ball over to steal quick strikes early in the count, an early jab to loosen up the glass jaw to be had. And bottom line, he didn't give in. Waters made his pitches when he needed to, working around three walks, two of which were to Teixeira and Guerrero. There were zero 2-0 fast balls grooved, nor were there any 0-2 mistakes, no scape goats for at-bats gone sour.

It is anyone's guess why it took this long for Waters to make his big league debut, given the current state of the Baltimore Orioles, their pitching staff, and the American League East division. Baltimore occupies the cellar of one of baseball's deepest divisions, entering Tuesday's ball game 13 back of the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. The O's aren't contending this season; out of it is an understatement. Whether they contend next season will be left up to the maturation of their young roster and their off season activity in the free agent and trade markets.

What the Orioles do have now, is a front line starter in Jeremy Guthrie, and a handful of high octane fast balls that find too much of the plate to often, a recipe for shellacking. Daniel Cabrera has been a project for a few seasons now, and he has finally given some return on Baltimore's investment, but he has ways to go in the consistency department if he wants to have a real impact in The Show, whether that be for Baltimore or any other club.

Dennis Sarfate is a power arm that walks way too many guys, and what you saw on Monday night is what you get when these types face good hitting teams -- 3 innings, 3 walks, 5 earned runs. There are bits and pieces in place, but no foundation, outside of Guthrie. Waters proved Tuesday night, even if it was only one start, that he deserves a spot in the big league rotation and he can provide a stable piece and take the ball every five days, giving the offense a chance to win a ball game. That isn't something the Orioles have enjoyed much this season, given their baptism by fire approach with their young kids, voluntary or involuntary.

For the Angels, it was another sullen step in the midst of a troubling stretch where mediocrity has taken even the Rally Monkey by surprise. If it wasn't for the Angels walk-off win on Monday evening, a game they almost gave to Baltimore, they would be riding a bruised four-game losing streak, with one game against Baltimore remaining before the New York Yankees come into town for three games beginning Friday night.

It is tough to play so spectacular for any continuous amount of time, and these last handful of games is nothing to worry about for the Angels. They have a choke hold on the American League West, and they may end up celebrating their division title on September 7th. They have simply played poorly in all facets of the game, getting shut out, giving games away on defense, and losing slugfests. That about covers all of it, so there is nothing more to do than regroup and get back to the pitching and defense mantra that has gotten the Angels this far and will continue to carry them into the post season.

Ervin Santana will be on the mound tomorrow afternoon to try to apply some stability to a wobbly club thats biggest question in the last two months is not how are they going to win the division, but rather how are they going to remain focused with such a big lead and so many games left to play. That is a problem that 29 other teams would gladly welcome at this point of the season, so lets not feel sorry for the Angels just yet.

The Angels looked foolish Tuesday at the plate; lets just call it like it is. They were tied up inside by an average fast ball and they went fishing at good pitches when they didn't have to protect the count. That's just bad hitting, and great pitching. In other words, that's baseball the way it should be played.

Great pitching performances are just that, and that is what we got from Mr. Waters Tuesday. These types of games are going to shut down an offense, even the best ones, and they are going to make professional hitters look rather inexperienced in the process. That's the game we chose to love, so no time for squabbling. Humble pie is sometimes served as is on a lonely, unadorned plate. Other times, it is served with a healthy portion of whip cream, a cherry, garnished with some rich chocolate sauce, and sent down smoothly with a hot cup of coffee. But in the end, it is all the same bit of humble pie.

It would be easy to rant about the Angels lack of patience at the plate, and stir up the boiling pot of questions regarding their offensive capabilities, but that's not the story on this night. The Angels didn't lose this game as much as Chris Waters looked them in the eye and took it from them. The Angels didn't squander any leads or botch any ground balls; Waters wouldn't let it come down to that. We should be ashamed as baseball fans if we walk away from this wonderful ball game thinking about everything the Angels didn't do and nothing about what the menace on the mound, outfitted in his orange and black livery, did do.

After nine minor league seasons and a lifetime worth of wonder, for the man who conquered the big league spotlight and then some, one night of respect is the least we can do.

Monday morning notes

2008-08-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

* The arrival of Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles has been incessantly chronicled since last Friday, and the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't be happier about it. Not only did Ramirez play a huge role in splitting the weekend series with first-place Arizona, he single-handedly made the Dodgers the hottest ticket in Los Angeles, at least for this week. Rarely are the Dodgers and Angels in town during the same time, so there will be no So Cal attendance showdown when the Yankees visit the Angels next weekend.

But without Ramirez, the Dodgers may have drawn 35,000 or so, maybe 40,000 on Saturday night given that Arizona was in town and they were battling for the division lead. Drop one Manny in left field and ... presto! Sellouts. The buzz in Los Angeles is palpable, and transformation from villain to savior in less than one week speaks volumes towards how we think, and act, as a sports society.

Sure, we want our players to be stand up guys and to be humble and to keep some things in perspective from time to time, because in the end they are making one hundred times what some people make, and they are playing a game. But is that always going to be reasonable? No. But it doesn't matter, because winning and outstanding performance cures all in sports. Manny definitely could have done some things differently on his way out of Boston, but I don't believe everything I hear.

There are hometown biases in place and the large realm of media that covers this particular zoo looks to break a story, not necessarily report the most accurate information. Newspapers are in business to draw readers, and they will write any sorts of fluff to accomplish that goal, regardless if the story is relevant to their city or to their team. If Boston wanted so badly to rid themselves of Manny, why are the majority of Boston's notable sportswriters in Los Angeles to cover the Manny Saga instead of remaining in Boston to publish a column about the Red Sox and the wonderful entrance Jason Bay made this past weekend?

It's all about the eyes, ears, and the attention. My point being is that baseball players and athletes really are not any different than the rest of us when it comes to daily operations. If Manny holds his corporation hostage because he has a little bit of leverage, is that any worse than the top computer programmer, that none of us know anything about, threatening to put his expertise on hold unless he is given a raise or certain benefits? Certainly not; we just hear what is in the press, and that is athletes because they are a public image. Immoral happenings are just that in any walk of life.

What we need to do is applaud and critique athletes for what they are in the spotlight for -- competing and playing their sport. I am not naive to the fact that they are role models to many, and they surely have some billing to live up to, but they are not supposed to be our model citizens or spokespeople for human rights or politicians or anything other than professional athletes and entertainers. If kids want role models, they have their parents, and if that is not a credible source, I'm sure there are numerous people within their own community that can set an example.

It's silly to act like what these guys do as people is more important to us as sports fans than what they do on the field, because it is apparent that performance supersedes how they handle their business decisions. Again, this doesn't mean that their image is irrelevant; this simply states that lets not make these players out to be more than what we really want them to be, which are good baseball players. Anything more and, more times than not, we will be let down. People pay to see good players, and sportswriters travel across the country to report on great players, regardless of how they are as "people". Period.

* Most of the time when I come across the next Ozzie Guillen sound bite, I keep one ear open simply to stay current with what arguably the most colorful manager in sports is feeding to the public this time, and I keep the other ear closed off to something else for the fear that the shrieking may cause my ear drums to pop and my ears to fill with blood. But, for this time at least, Ozzie was spot on with his rant after Sunday's ball game against the Kansas City Royals, a game that culminated with a bench-clearing brawl and five players ejected.

White Sox reliever D.J. Carrasco hit Miguel Olivo after pounding him inside with the two previous pitches and Olivo promptly charged the mound. Well, sort of. Olivo more so ran out to the mound and proceeded to have a staring contest with Carrasco, who waited until A.J. Pierzynski wrapped Olivo up from behind before meekly patting him on the head, mumbling, "down doggy; gooooood doggy".

Quick Side Note: Seriously, if you are angry enough to charge the mound, you better go out there and get after it and get your punches in before the troops crash the party, because you are already ejected and most likely suspended. But to go out there and proclaim, "whoever blinks first loses!", is a joke. And if you are Carrasco, I understand if the pitcher doesn't want to fight in fear of hurting his pitching hand or getting suspended, costing his team games during a pennant race. I get that. But if that is the case, simply calm yourself, duck the punches that are thrown at you, in this case there were none, and turn your back and walk away once you are sure there are enough teammates around to halt the skirmish. If you do that, there is no way you should be ejected, much less suspended, unless of course the bean ball was brutally obvious and/or drilled the hitter in the head.

But what good does it do for the pitcher to play patty-cake when a guy comes out to the mound? He is not proving anything, and in reality, may in some sort of silly way come off as an instigator, and then you are suspended without even hitting the guy. I would personally be more upset if a guy charged the mound when I didn't throw at him, than when I did. You either stay calm and let the situation unfold and then take yourself out of it, or you meet the hitter halfway and beat him like a pinata in the park. There is no middle ground, no gray area. But this is all irrelevant to the topic, so back to Ozzie...

Ozzie went ballistic when his pitcher was ejected and accused of throwing at Olivo, and suffice to say Ozzie got the boot as well. But the facts are that the bases are loaded and the guy on the mound is a sinker ball pitcher. He is trying to run his sinker inside to jam Olivo and get a ground ball. There is no intent there.

After the game, Ozzie admitted that he has before ordered his pitchers to hit people, "because that is my job and I have to protect my players." But this was not one of those times.

"If I want to hit a guy, I'm not going to bring in a guy throwing 85 at the hands... I'm going to bring in Dotel or Thornton and tell them to get the job done, because that is how I do business", Ozzie said.

Obviously, baseball wants to frown on any sort of brawls, but Ozzie is right in this situation. The game is way too controlled these days, and The Code is simply thrown out the window. Except that it isn't. The players are still going to abide by it, and it is the umpires and the league that are trying to make it known that they will handle situations accordingly, and that retaliation will unequivocally result in punishment. That is the problem; there is a standoff between the players and Major League Baseball, and that will never go away until the game is restored to the order of the past.

Brawls happen when guys are hit in the head or are repeatedly thrown at; those days will never fully go away. But there shouldn't be fights when a guy is drilled, even if it is obvious that it is in retaliation for something. Take your base and get over it. If a guy charged the mound because he felt that Bob Gibson or Nolan Ryan or Don Drysdale intentionally threw at him, do you know what would happen? Those pitchers wouldn't think twice about giving it to him again the very next time he comes to the plate. And the hitters knew that, so they acted accordingly. Ask Robin Ventura what he thinks about brawls.

The umpires and the league try to put this game in a choke hold, and there will always be more confrontations as long as that is the case. Ozzie is right; the game should police itself and the players will be their own enforcers. There certainly would be less brawls because hitters would know that there is nothing stopping them from getting drilled in his next five at-bats if he chooses to come out to the mound.

* In the compelling race that is the AL Central, the biggest move may turn out to be a transaction that had nothing to do with the trade deadline. Francisco Liriano was summoned to big leagues on Friday, and he made his return to the mound Sunday by throwing six shutout innings and notching the win for the Twins, who overtook the White Sox in the division by a half-game.

The White Sox are a good club, but they are not currently built for great post season success, mainly because their pitching is inconsistent and their offense relies too much on the home run. The Twins on the other hand have a great rotation built around Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, and Scott Baker. Their one downfall may be that they are young and inexperienced, but talent trumps those two factors, I believe. I'm sure this lead will change uniforms a few more times before the season is through, but with a big arm back with the Twins, it is hard to see how Minnesota does not have the leg up on the White Sox at this point of the year.

Peace Maker

2008-08-03T20:53:00.001-07:00

You only get one crack at your first impression, and as far as those go, this is one of the best we have seen in some time. Since Manny Ramirez became a Dodger, he has set records for curtain calls, hilarious one-liners, and resurrected Dodger fans. Manny Ramirez hasn't saved the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has saved the city. Manny Ramirez hasn't saved the Dodgers' lineup. He has saved the credibility and pride of one of baseball's most lavish organizations.

He hits, hits, and hits some more. With Ramirez's 4-for-5 day in the Dodgers 9-3 victory Sunday, a performance that included a home run, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs, Ramirez raised his Dodger average to .615. Those numbers aren't simply huge figures, they look out of place on a sheet of paper next to "batting average". There have been two blasted home runs, and a coup of scorching line drives in between.

But what is so appealing about this guy, this superhuman figure of a baseball player and a man, is not the aura he carries when he struts up to the plate or the swagger he takes with him anywhere around the ball park. It is not the the numbers that lace the scoreboard screen out in right center field; we are accustomed to those type of statistics for this guy. What is so amazing is how Manny goes about it all. How he competes at this level on a day to day basis, and executes so well.

The whole world knows how great a baseball player Ramirez is; he is one of the best right handed hitters of all time. There was never a doubt -- in Cleveland, Boston, or LA -- that this guy is as feared as they come with a bat in his hands, a game changer to the fullest. We sure have seen enough fast balls crushed five hundred feet and enough hanging breaking balls ripped to the opposite field to know, to understand, that Ramirez has an idea or two when it comes to hitting a baseball. Even Dodger hitting coach Don Mattingly said he wasn't going to say a word to Ramirez about hitting, because "Manny has that handled."

But how has he come out like this, at this pace, this relaxed? Maybe we have been a little scarred by the Andruw Jones Experience this season. Jones was one of the most heralded players in baseball when he came over in the off season, and now at 31 years old, many talent evaluators are simply saying that he is done. Career finished. Even with all of the horrendous at-bats and sluggish swings we have seen this year to go along with that miniscule batting average, that is a little hard to fathom. Maybe not for you; it's possible I'm not that cut and dry. But I just don't get how two guys with such great talent can perform on such polar opposites of the baseball spectrum.

Then again, it only took me one torrid weekend to realize what Ramirez has going for him. A couple interviews helped the cause.

Manny is simply as loose as they come. He enjoys the game and approaches it like you would expect a man to approach a game that he is fortunate enough to make millions of dollars playing. With ease and joy and relentless fun. Can we say the same thing about Jones on any of those fronts? No. No way.

Manny claims he is nervous playing in front of all of his new supporters, but I don't see it. He lives day to day, plays at-bat to at-bat. There is no speculation or worry involved. He is so sound in his approach, yet so simple in his mindset. Greatness has never looked, or sounded, so easy.

When asked about what it means to him to be closing in on the Top 20 of baseball's All-Time Home run list, Manny deferred to his caution-to-the-wind lifestyle, admitting that "he doesn't think about it much" and that "it is what it is" and that he just "plays the game day to day and tries to enjoy it and have fun". Umm, these are the profound words from one of the greatest hitters ever?

That is the secret to Manny's success; don't get too caught up in the little things and keep the enjoyment of the game at the forefront. Easier said than done, but Manny has mastered the art of simplifying the game. It certainly takes a special type of player to be able to apply the minimal on the game's maximum stage, but that is exactly what it takes.

It only took one day in Los Angeles before Ramirez admitted that he would like to spend the rest of his career in Dodger Blue. He said that he is already "feeling the peace that I am looking for" in Los Angeles, and that is what he is after at this stage in his career. He has made more money than he can ever spend, he has put himself in place to be a first-ballot Hall Of Famer. Now it is about a comfortable situation for his family and peace of mind for himself.

The Dodgers should grant Ramirez that peace and offer him the opportunity to go out on top as a Dodger. He has already transcended the Dodgers' lineup, and he may single-handedly carry them into the post season this year, given the weakness of the NL West. In a tougher division, even the greatest hitter would need some help. But in this division, where three runs has a great chance of holding up in a ball game, I am definitely a believer in the Ramirez Reclamation Project in Los Angeles.

If that was the only thing the man offered to this ball club, that would be enough. But think about the possible affect he could have on the young hitters like Martin, Kemp, Loney, and Ethier, and the humbled superstar that is Andruw Jones. Jones cannot have lost all of the ability and talent that made him arguably the best center fielder in baseball during the last decade. That is not physically possible; I am convinced.

When you struggle, you think of ways to try to get out of it. When they don't work, you think some more. Before you know it, baseball has become a chemistry equation and the old adage that points out "you can't think and play at the same time" is more true than ever. The Dodgers need Manny Being Manny to get Jones Lookin' Like Jones. They have to go to breakfast together and talk hitting. They have to go to lunch together and talk about what it means to simplify your approach at the plate. They have to drive to the ballpark together and talk about clearing the mind in order to deliver your best performance.

The Dodger are asking Manny Ramirez to do what he has done for his entire career for another two months in order to get them into the playoffs. When you are in the post season, anything can happen. Manny will fulfill his part of the deal, and in return, he wants owner Frank McCourt to put some dollars on the table at the end of the season and make a commitment to him that will allow him to play his career out in Los Angeles.

At a time when Manny believes that the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles can, once and for all, offer him the peace he has been seeking, it is obvious he can give twice as much of the same gift back to the Dodgers. Take yourself back to the fifth inning of Sunday's ball game, Manny's monster home run and the subsequent Ravine-rattling standing ovation, his second of the weekend, and it is apparent what he has already done for the fans, the franchise, and the city. Manny-- enjoy the view down Sunset on the way to the park, because there's finally peace aplenty in LA.

The Aftermath

2008-08-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

The eye of Hurricane Man Ram cam and went, and here we are, baseball is still standing. That is precisely what July is about, the buzz, the hype, the rumors, the speculation, the countless phone calls and text messages that translate to nothing, leaving us holding our heads and screaming, "Dekes are in!" I resist to claim that the weeks leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline are the most exciting days of the baseball season, simply because the pinnacle of the sport, the post season, and ultimately, the World Series, is as captivating as they come: refreshing to some, energizing to most.

But, boy, I feel like the earth quake that struck the Los Angeles area earlier this week was only the precursor to the swirls that would be heading through town come Thursday afternoon. Survived and unscathed, we can catch our breath, calm our ears, and see what actually happened and what didn't happen. This is not the "Winners and Losers" of the deadline, because old time itself will tell us that without us scouring the internet sites and burning up the lines in pursuit of the next "biggest" scoop.

This is the craziest time of the year, that is for sure, a time where it is possible to hear five different versions of the same trade within 15 minutes of each other. In a business where the challenge is to break the biggest story, sometimes it pays to take a step back and make sure the content being pushed to the public is authentic, not construed. But that is not the point, as that is either here nor there, Boston or LA. We enjoy the talk, this being Ballpark Banter, and we relish the opportunity to place a stamp on the transactions that be, the ones that did happen and even the ones that didn't.

The trade deadline fits baseball better than any other sport because all of the proceedings fall right in line with the nature of the game. Vin Scully can be doing a Dodgers telecast, and has plenty of time in between pitches to ponder baseball's blood clots that are the infamous rampant rumors. That is the beauty of the game, the daily dissection of my club, your club, our club, and the rest of the teams in between. Baseball doesn't stall in the half court set nor does it get called for holding. It is a game of fluidity, a run-and-gun style at a monotone pace.

The deadline isn't all about what happens only on D-Day, as there are times like this year where some of the biggest deals are done a couple weeks before the required date. In fact, two of the biggest trades of recent memory could be called the Transaction Tandem, independent on the surface, but jointed at the hip underneath the murkiness of a division race.

CC Sabathia headed to the Milwaukee Brewers in an attempt to bring post season play to Milwaukee since 1982, and the big lefty has done his part thus far, adding brilliant pitching to go along with Mr. Brewer, Ben Sheets. The Chicago Cubs, leading one of baseball's best divisions, the NL Central, acquired their own gun in Rich Harden, and he pitched them to a four-game sweep of the Brewers on Thursday afternoon, opening up the Cubbie lead to five games.

The Phillies sent a package of prospects to the Oakland A's for starting pitcher Joe Blanton, in an attempt to upgrade over Adam Eaton who, to put it blatantly, couldn't get the equipment manager out in the launching pad that is Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Blanton certainly will help that club out in their quest to hold off the Mets and Marlins, but their fate is still going to depend on whether or not Brett Myers, who won on Tuesday for the first time since May, can offer any sort of contribution and help out a rotation buoyed by Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer.

The Dodgers have been looking for a third baseman and searching for an offense the entire spring, and they added a solid piece in Casey Blake who will undoubtedly add a little punch to a lineup that, before Thursday's blockbuster, was conceding the last four spots in their order by sending out a lineup card where the 6-9 spots read like this: Jones, Berrora, Ozuna, pitcher's spot.

The aforementioned blockbuster was the grand prize, or Grand Prize 1A depending on your view, of the deadline, with the Dodgers acquiring disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox in part of a three team trade that sent two prospects in Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from LA to Pittsburgh, two prospects in Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen from Boston to Pittsburgh, and left fielder Jason Bay to the Red Sox and the empty shoes of Fenway Park's left field.

Los Angeles GM Ned Colletti has been on the hot seat this entire season, due to the construction of three, lets be honest, horrendous deals in the past two years. Colletti has given more than $100 million to Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, and Jason Schmidt, with Pierre the only one returning some sort of value. Schmidt has battled shoulder problems and has pitched 25 innings for the Dodgers in two seasons, and Jones is not even a mere shell of the player he was in Atlanta, being booed accordingly each time he steps to the plate at Dodger Stadium.

But, finally, Colletti resurrected some of his reputation this July, and with the Red Sox so eager to rid themselves of Manny that they are going to pay the remaining $7 million on his 2008 salary, Ned has put a big time piece in place to make the Dodgers a serious contender with the Arizona Diamonbacks for the NL West title.

Not many people are talking about the the impact of Bay going to the Red Sox, writing it off entirely because "he isn't Manny Ramirez." Guess what? We knew that, and nobody is, but that isn't the point at all. That is irrelevant speak at a time when the Red Sox are doing everything in their power to regain their focus. Boston had to deal Manny or else the clubhouse would have imploded before September, and the return they got, I think, was substantial.

Bay is a very good player, a guy who will hit .300 in that ballpark with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, hitting behind a group of catalysts and base runners. No lineup is better without Ramirez, but there is plenty firepower remaining in Boston to make another run at a championship this season, and Bay only adds to that. Plus, they have the guy for $7.5 million next season. All things considered, what's not to like?

The Yankees made a couple of splashes and they are right back in this thing if this weekend series with the Angels doesn't kill them, with the Angels already pounding them 12-6 on Thursday evening. The Bombers dished away a bushel of prospects to the Pirates in exchange for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, a great value. Nady will bring his .320+ batting average to the wide open gaps of Yankee Stadium, lessening the offensive void left by the season ending injury to Jorge Posada, and Marte fills two roles in the bullpen left depleted by Joba Chamebrlain's move to the rotation: lefty specialists and an impact arm for the eighth inning, bridging the gap to closer Mariano Rivera. The Yankees sent Kyle Farnsworth to the Tigers straight up for Ivan Rodriguez, finding them an adequate catcher to plug into the lineup and allow Jose Molina to be one of the best backup catchers in baseball, where he has the most value.

We have been perpetual supporters of the Angels Awareness Program for weeks here at Ballpark Banter, and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world is starting to realize what kind of club owner Arte Moreno and GM Tony Reagins have put together. I believed the Angels had enough to win it all, given that their pitching staff continued its run of dominance, before they dipped into the Big Splash waters, but heck, maybe they finally felt like quieting the plethora of critics once and for all.

Since those days, the Angels have traded for Mark Teixeira, Torii Hunter is hitting the baseball like Vlad Guerrero in his prime, Garret Anderson is playing like he wants to be brought back for the 2009 season, and Casey Kotchman is working on finding a home in Atlanta. A good lineup just got deadly with all of those happenings, and Teixiera has already shown his ability to be selective, take a walk, and play good defense. The bombs are soon to follow.

In the morning hours of D-Day, the Chicago White Sox acquired Ken Griffey Jr., sending a good arm in Nick Masset plus another prospect to the Reds, in hope that Griffey will provide a stable left handed bat in the middle of their order. The White Sox are going to live and die with the home run from here on out. The Seattle Mariners sent Arthur Rhodes to the Florida Marlins, the lone deal for the Marlins. Florida undoubtedly brought Rhodes in for guys by the name of Utley, Howard, and Delgado. Funny thing is, we are 109 games into the Marlins schedule, and they are still hard to figure out. They just may win this thing, given their young hitters and the return of Anibal Sanchez to the rotation.

For all that did happen, there was equally as much left on the table. The theme of the trade market this year was "Left Handed Relief", and none of the big names moved. The Colorado Rockies have won 6 of their last 10, but they were mistaken to believe they are still in the NL West race as they enter Friday's game with the Marlins 8 games back of Arizona. Of course, GM Dan O'Dowd was probably kicking himself when he held onto his pieces, only to find out shortly after the deadline passed that Manny was heading to the Dodgers.

Brian Fuentes could have brought back a significant return, but they chose rather to keep him in their own bullpen and they may have to settle for the compensation picks if he walks away for more dollars in free agency this winter. Matt Holliday was another Rockies' piece who could have moved, but it is more likely that his market will lineup this winter after Manny Ramirez signs his free agent deal. Holliday is signed through next season, so the suitors will be biting at the Winter Meetings.

The Baltimore Orioles have their closer, George Sherrill, locked up for a couple more seasons, but his value will not be higher than it is now given his 30 saves, and he could have gone to a contender in search of the bullpen help -- Angels, Red Sox, Dodgers are a few -- and brought back some quality prospects. Will Ohman of the Atlanta Braves was a popular name in the last week -- some were suggesting he be packaged in a blockbuster with Teixeira -- but he will reside in Georgia for at least the rest of this season.

Seattle's lack of involvement was surprising, given the fact that they are 27, yes, twenty seven, games back of the Angels and we are just opening August. They should be completely redoing that roster, dumping salary where ever they can find a fit, and trying to reload the system with prospects. They got rid of Richie Sexson's contract earlier this season, and the Yankees were willing to take on Jarrod Washburn and his eight-figure salary, but the talks hit a gridlock when the Mariners wanted the Yankees to eat the contract and send a prospect in return. Of course, Washburn still may end up with the Yankees if they get him by the August 15 waiver deadline.

Sources had Raul Ibanez going to Toronto, but somehow Seattle didn't feel like the return was a good fit in that deal either, so here they are, the day after the deadline, still stuck with their two biggest trading chips. The M's should have driven Washburn to New York and dropped him off curbside at Yankee Stadium to rid themselves of that contract, and they should have hung a cheaper price tag on Ibanez, if only to wash the blood from their hands and start fresh for spring training 2009.

The Diamondbacks had their name dipped in many circles, but the only piece they brought in was reliever Jon Rauch from the Washington Nationals. Bats are at a premium right now, so their best upgrade may be getting a healthy Justin Upton back and hoping their pitching holds out, but that's the problem. They could have used another arm in the rotation, because Johnson and Davis aren't reassuring, especially in the post season, if they get there. Luckily for them, their best bullpen arm, Juan Cruz, comes off the DL today.

The Padres would be sellers, but they just didn't have much to sell. They were trying to trade Greg Maddux while keeping his personal interests in tact -- i.e. staying on the West Coast. There just wasn't any contenders on the West Coast that were real interested in Maddux. The Dodgers were in talks for a brief time and got nowhere, but come to think of it, Arizona should have been in this deal.

Two of the more surprising inactive clubs were the Ray and Mets. The Rays have a hold on the AL East right now, and may have what it takes to win already, so it is understandable why they didn't do anything extreme. They were looking for another outfield bat to add depth to their bench, and possible a bullpen arm, but they stood pat. It may be that they just didn't find any bat more intriguing than the possibility of a healthy Rocco Baldelli coming back to help them, as crazy as that sounds, and it is no question they couldn't come across an arm that made more sense than promoting baseball's top prospect, 6'6" lefty David Price.

The Mets could have used another arm in the rotation as a safety net, given the case that Pedro Martinez doesn't hold up, and they should have added Ibanez to the outfield. But, as it turns out, GM Omar Minaya was not scared by losing Moises Alou for the remainder of the season, and the Mets seem to be banking on Ryan Church returning from post-concussion complications to help them in the outfield.

Every year, there is always more talk than action, and that is what keeps our ears open and our pens moving. Sports talk shows have to love this week as their local listeners are calling in with passion and vigor, claiming their cause ought to be considered. That is why we do what we do -- watch, follow, and cover baseball. Some teams struck out, some dropped down a bunt single in search of that late inning rally, and others just sat back on that 2-0 fatty and launched it, but all clubs lived this week for prosperity. As Chavez Ravine erupts tonight and others squander away another season under a dark, starless sky, there will be GMs across the country laughing or crying, all based on one tireless whirlwind of a trading season.

D-Day: Deadline morning notes

2008-07-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's Deadline Day at Ballpark Banter and, as of Thursday morning, there's plenty of speculation to go along with yesterday's games.

* When it seems like our country can't do a thing to escape the Brett Favre Media Blitz, the baseball world is being held hostage by the same treatment, the Manny Ramirez spectacle. This story is more worn out than the "Manny Being Manny" catch phrase that has made Ramirez's annual infantile tantrums and obscure on-field displays acceptable. But enough is enough. And I'm not even in Boston, where the eye of the storm is swirling.

Everybody is tired of this debacle: the fans, the media, the Boston front office, and most importantly, the other 24 guys in the Red Sox clubhouse. You can see the wear and tear that this is causing on this Red Sox club, at a time when they have plenty of actual baseball-related issues to deal with, after being swept at home by the Angels, the second Angels sweep in the last two weeks. The Red Sox need to figure out their pitching, not the Dreadlocks Dandy. They need to get Clay Buchholz to take the mound with some presence, not wasting time trying to get Manny to take the field with some perspective. They need to add an arm the the bullpen and straighten out the ones that are already down there, not worry about The Diva That Be and his admiration of a new contract. God forbid a guy make $20 million playing for a franchise like the Red Sox, in a baseball-crazed city like Boston. Gee, what a horrible situation Manny's got over there.

The Red Sox ace, Mr. Josh Beckett, was beat around by an Angels lineup that scored 9 runs backed by a big night from Garret Anderson and a hitless night from their new toy, Mark Teixeira. That's a little bit more important right? David Ortiz has suddenly become the linchpin to this offense, and that's the way it has to be. It's tough to imagine the Red Sox without Manny Ramirez, but they have enough to get the job done. They will be fine with Youkilis, Drew, Pedroia, et al., and that is without accounting for whoever they can bring in with the Ramirez trade.

And, the thing is, none of this is really news in Boston. This act is old, its tiresome, and it puts a big, black smudge on an organization that has been known for its baseball lore, not its headline captivity. But we know it's bad when the captain, Jason Varitek, is even saying that they need to figure this thing out and the team needs to move past this point. Not Manny Ramirez, but the team. Varitek understands how great a player Ramirez is, but he also realizes that the Red Sox can be a great club without him. He is in it to win, and that is saying something because Varitek is playing for a contract more than anybody else in that clubhouse. Varitek is in his walk year, and we know it's ugly when the fly that lands on his lunch has nothing to worry about. It's not as if Varitek is going to hit him. With all of that aside, we don't hear a word about Varitek's troubles and what he is going to do after this season.

Why? Because he is a baseball guy, a team guy. He worries about the championship this season, and his contract when it is over. Beckett, you could tell he is sick of it. The fiery Texan can't hide his expressions if he wanted to, and after Wednesday's ball game, he seemed as if he hadn't slept in a week. The losing sure accounts for some of that, but the last thing he wanted to do was talk about Manny. His team is struggling, the Yankees are hunting them down, the Rays are steaming straight ahead, and Captain Quicksand in left field isn't helping the cause. If the Yankees are the "Bronx Zoo", what are the Red Sox? Boston Bugaboo? Beats me.

* One last quick note on the Ramirez deal. There is plenty of speculation swirling around this morning regarding Manny going to the Florida Marlins as part of a three-team deal that includes the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manny and at least one prospect would go to Florida, with Jeremy Hermida and prospects going to the Pirates, and Jason Bay and another piece or two going to the Red Sox. This is merely a form of this deal, no carbon copy is out there just yet. The details are being worked out and many names are being thrown around.

Jason Bay would be a good return for the Red Sox, and it seems as if they could get a bullpen piece as well. No, Bay isn't Manny Ramirez. Not many people are. But for a situation as ugly as this, Bay would be a great piece to plug into left field and plug into the lineup. Bay is already a very good hitter, and he could take a Mike Lowell-type leap when he comes to Fenway Park and has the Green Monster out there to use. Lowell was a good hitter before he came to the Red Sox; he became an All-Star hitter when he stepped into Fenway.

A week ago I didn't think the Red Sox would actually trade Manny, basically because this happens every year and they always work it out. But this is uglier than anything we have seen and for the first time, I don't see how the Red Sox can move on with Manny wearing their uniform. It has gotten to that point. To top it off, Manny is making a mockery of the situation, evident by the sign that he held in the dugout before Wednesday's game: "I'm going to Green Bay for Brett Favre straight up!" That goes without mentioning Manny's latest remarks, some sort of jumbled words concerning the Red Sox "don't deserve a player like me." Thata boy, Manny. You sure know a final straw when you see one.

* ESPN.com is reporting this morning that there is breaking news on the Ken Griffey Jr. trade front. A deal is in place to send Griffey to the Chicago White Sox, pending his acceptance of the trade. The return for the Reds has not been disclosed. As of 11:35 AM eastern time, there is word that Griffey has approved of the trade and it looks like the deal is going to go through. I like this trade for the White Sox as it brings another left handed bat to their lineup with some sock, and it also adds some depth to a roster of aging All-Stars.

I have no idea how exactly the White Sox are going to work Griffey into their lineup, and anything I say is pure speculation at this point. But I would guess that the Ozzie Guillen could slot Griffey into the cleanup spot, in between Carlos Quentin and and Paul Konerko in the lineup. I would imagine that Griffey goes to center field, and Nick Swisher platoons with Konerko at first base and also plays a little bit of center to give Griffey some days off. Their could be one, big revolving door around the DH spot, with Griffey, Konerko, Thome, and Swisher all seeing time there. The problem is Swisher is hitting .230, Konerko is having a poor season at the plate, Thome can't play any position except DH, and Griffey is not the ideal center fielder anymore.

But, what else is there to do? Would you rather have Jermaine Dye in center? I don't think so. And you can't move Dye or Quentin off of the corners because they are the best hitters in the lineup. It will be interesting to see how Guillen plays his cards, but this would be a much more difficult situation if in fact Konerko and Swisher were playing like they are capable of playing. Since both of them are hitting in the low-.200s, there shouldn't be any gripes when they see the bench more than usual. I would bet that Konerko is the guy who is benched more often, simply because Swisher is more versatile in the field and he brings a fire and energy that is going to be needed to push this club through the finish line and hold off the pesky Minnesota Twins, who by the way, almost claimed first place in Central division with one home series, but dropped Wednesday's game and will need to win Thursday's affair to pull back within a 1/2 game of Chicago. But, without seeing who the White Sox give up in this Griffey deal, I like it on paper.

* The Yankees are turning up the heat in the Bronx, and they made a move that will bolster their lineup and, hopefully for them, continue the run of good baseball that they are on since the All-Star break. With Jorge Posada opting for season-ending shoulder surgery, the Yankees shipped Kyle Farnsworth to the Tigers for cather Ivan Rodriguez. There couldn't have been a better deal out here for New York at this point in time. Rodriguez is a huge upgrade over Jose Molina offensively, and we are all aware of what he brings to the catcher position. This moves Molina back to his role as backup, and that gives him greater value. As a second catching option, Molina is more than adequate. As a starter, he is a fringe guy. But that's not a knock on Molina, who has been a huge part of this Yankee resurgence, throwing out almost 50% of attempted base stealers this season.

Rodriguez is in the option year of a four-year deal he signed with Detroit, so this is a rental for the Yankees. Perfect. A free agent at the end of the season, he can walk, and the Yankees get Posada back next season and its business as usual. What cannot be quantified on paper is the intensity and passion that Pudge will bring to this Yankees club. Manager Joe Girardi had the Yanks playing some inspired ball, but I think Rodriguez will fit in great with Girardi's style, being a guy who puts it on the line and is about winning a championship. A great fit, I believe.

The deal for the Tigers is irrelevant. They took Farsnworth off of the Yankees' hands, and that is a blessing in disguise for New York. Farnsworth has a great arm, but he cannot be relied to get big outs late in the game, and that's what the Tigers acquired him for, something he failed to accomplish while in Pinstripes. The Tigers will add him to the Fernando Rodey-Joel Zumaya mix and hope they can shorten some ball games with their offense. I just don't see it in the cards for the Tigers this year. The offense takes a hit without Pudge, and the White Sox and Twins keep moving forward by playing good baseball. The only hope they have is that the Twins and Sox beat up on each other down the stretch, and conversely, the Tigers beat up on both of them. We shall see.

A look at Monday's big matchups

2008-07-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

* Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee Brewers

In what is, without a doubt, the most sought after ticket this week in Major League Baseball, we get a sneak peek at what the National League Central may come down to in September: Cubs and Brewers. The Brewers have their newly acquired gun on the mound in CC Sabathia. Sabathia has been everything and more manager Ned Yost could have hoped for, going 4-0 with 3 complete games in his first four starts in Milwaukee regalia.

Ryan Braun hasn't slowed down one bit since participating in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium a couple weeks ago, and he will be called upon to bolster the offense and knock the ball all over the park this week. The Brewers sit 1 game back going into tonight's ball game, and they have Ben Sheets scheduled to pitch Tuesday's game, so a great chance to take the first two games of the four-game set and create a stir in Chicago.

The Cubs, meanwhile, come into Miller Park playing average baseball, having been dashed with a little cool water since the All-Star game. They struggled to split a weekend series against the Florida Marlins this past weekend at Wrigley Field, and their great lineup has all of a sudden become a little punchless. Alfonso Soriano homered in Sunday's ball game, and his bat needs to get hot for the Cubs to continue to rule the NL Central. Furthermore, Kosuke Fukudome's struggles have been thoroughly documented throughout the Windy City.

The Cubs send Ted Lilly to the mound tonight, hoping for nothing more than a quality start and the chance to win the game during the battle of the bullpens in the later innings. Conversely, if the Cubs can win tonight's game, they have a great chance tomorrow to push their would-be lead to 3 games with their ace Carlos Zambrano going up against Sheets. With the absence of Kerry Wood putting more pressure on set-up man Carlos Marmol, manager Lou Pinella has found another gun to go to in rookie Jeff Samardzija, an electric right handed arm. It would be a gamble to say the least if the Cubs have to rely on Samardzija to close out games down the stretch, so the resurgence of Marmol is all the more crucial.

* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Boston Red Sox

The Angels come into Fenway Park tonight with a double-digit lead in the American League West. A laugher, we know. The Angels are all about playing good ball the rest of the way, finding a rhythm throughout their offense, and keeping their starters healthy. They took two out of three from the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, and some of their starters have shown some signs of tired arms. John Lackey and Ervin Santana had less-than-stellar starts, but they should rebound to form.

These two clubs squared off a week ago in Anaheim, and the Angels spanked them around Orange County and promptly swept them without having to face closer Jonathan Papelbon once in that series. Frankie Rodriguez continues his march towards Bobby Thigpen's single-season saves record, and manager Mike Scioscia will have to respect Rodriguez' opportunity to chase down a hallowed record while keeping his health, and therefore the best interest of the club, at the forefront. In spite of all the talk about the Angels lackluster offense, Howie Kendrick has become a hits machine, Torii Hunter is driving the ball with authority, and the offense is manufacturing enough runs on most nights to give their superb starters an opportunity to notch a win.

For the Red Sox, this will be an interesting few days for them, and not because there is more Manny speculation regarding his contract and/or trade talks. The Red Sox just came off a series where they dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees at home, and the last game being a late night affair due to a rain delay and ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball telecast. The Red Sox were able to salvage one win on Sunday, but it will be interesting to see at what cost, if any.

Papelbon was not used against the Yankees as their win was a blowout, so he is fresh and ready to pitch every day against the Angels if need be. Daisuke Matsuzaka matches up against Jered Weaver tonight, and both have been quality starters this year. Matsuzaka's MO has been to pitch behind in the count, walk more than a few, and then promptly pitch out of any and all jams. We will see how that approach works against an Angels team that likes to work the count, drive the pitch count up, and be aggressive when they get their pitch to hit. The Red Sox need to continue to win to hold off the Yankees in the wild card race and to prevent from falling too far behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

* Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees

The aforementioned Orioles are playing the role of spoilers at this point, as they are too far back to make any serious kind of run at the division or the wild card. They have their best pitcher in Jeremy Guthrie going tonight against the Yankees, and if there is anything positive we can about Baltimore, the Orioles beat the Angels yesterday, snapping their 15-week Sunday loss streak.

The Yankees, on the other hand, cannot let Sunday's thumping derail them from their winning ways that have allowed them to open the second half on fire and storm back into the division and wild card races. The Red Sox will be in a tough series with the Angels, so the Yankees need to take advantage and sweep the Orioles while they are enjoying their stay in Yankee Stadium. Mike Mussina is on the hill tonight, and he has been arguably he best starter on the staff this season. The Moose is enjoying a 3.26 ERA going into Monday, and he is going for his 14th win of the season.

Bobby Abreu has had his best at-bats as a Yankee since the All-Star break, and Robinson Cano looks like he is turning the corner and starting to fulfill the vast potential the Yankees have been waiting on. This is a great opportunity for the Yankees to pick up a couple games on Boston, and this would be a waste if they have a let down against Baltimore.

* New York Mets @ Florida Marlins

Outside of the NL Central, the NL East may be the most intriguing race in baseball this season, with regards to the Eastern teams in the American League. The Mets took care of business this past weekend, taking 2 of 3 from a solid St. Louis Cardinals club, and they take a 1 game lead over the Phillies and a 2 game lead on the Marlins into Monday.

John Maine opposes Ricky Nolasco in Miami tonight, and Nolasco has been one of the better starters in the National League this season while Maine has been mediocre, at best. Maine has the stuff to be a top-line starting pitcher for the Mets, and if he could begin to pitch like he is capable of, the Mets may make this race a little more one-sided than we can see at this point in time.

Regardless of what happens tonight, the Mets have Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey going in the next two games, and both of those guys will have good chances to produce wins for New York. Florida is a club that doesn't seem to have the pitching to stay in this thing, but as we close out July and creep closer to the trading deadline, they are still right there, two games back. Their offense will keep them in the race, and they are a great hitting club at home given the pitcher's ball park that is Dolphins Stadium. One good thing for Florida, they won't have to face Johan Santana, who pitched Sunday.

* Honorable Mentions:

The Braves and Cardinals square off in Atlanta, and this series is big for the Cardinals for obvious reasons; they still have an opportunity to have a say in the NL Central. The Braves, on the other hand, are out of it in my opinion, but if they pick up a couple games early this week on the rest of the division, they may not exactly be sellers going into the trade deadline. What makes this series so important though, is that it will ultimately serve as a serious determining factor on the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes. Will he go or will he stay? Much will be learned during this series, with the trade deadline set for Thursday.

In another some-what interesting series, the Chicago White Sox head into Minneapolis, Minnesota for four games against the Twins. The White Sox take a 2.5 game lead into this series, and this may just be a flash of the competition we see coming down the stretch in September. Mark Buehrle goes for Chicago as Kevin Slowey goes for Minnesota, but the jury is still out on the Detroit Tigers, and whether or not they have what it takes to make a push for the division title.

Sunday morning notes

2008-07-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

* It wasn't supposed to be like this for the Boston Red Sox. The defending World Champs had the best team on paper coming out of spring training, and they were expected to ride a comfortable lead to an AL East title. Those plans are going up in smoke, done in by the bats of the New York Yankees and the youthful exuberance that flows out of Tampa Bay. The Rays are enjoying a series in Kansas City this weekend that is allowing them to gain some breathing room the division race. The Yankees continue to pound the Red Sox, dropping them two back of the Rays, and the Bombers sit 3 back of the division leader and 1 back of their long-time nemesis.

This was always a concern for the Red Sox -- well, at least in my mind -- coming down the stretch: How is that suddenly thin pitching staff going to hold up when the offense isn't pounding out 9 runs per game? Manny Ramirez was finally back in the Boston lineup -- that's a whole different issue -- alongside David Ortiz, only to be shutdown on the second straight night by the Yankees' starting pitcher. Andy Pettitte allowed 1 earned run over six innings, and was the beneficiary of an offensive onslaught, led by the continuity of Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano's torrid streaks at the plate. Luckily for the Yankees, they scored enough runs to get the win without having to use closer Mariano Rivera. After recording a five-out save on Friday night, Rivera will be fresh and ready to go for tonight's ball game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

But back to the Red Sox, their pitching is not what we thought it would be or expected it to be. Their bullpen is shaky, at best, and they are having a hard time even getting the ball to Jonathan Papelbon when they do have a lead. Tim Wakefield gave up 6 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings on Saturday, and I have been wondering for a few weeks now when are the wheels going to come off the party bus? Wakefield has been one of Boston's most consistent starters, but you are always walking on ice with a knuckle-baller. When the pitcher himself doesn't know how his signature pitch is going to move from one offering to the next, well it becomes a coin flip on whether the outcome will be good enough to win that day.

Bottom line for the Red Sox, the absence of Curt Schilling has hurt this rotation and has left holes in the back end. Beckett and Lester are studs. Matsuzaka is an anomaly; his walk totals and style of consistently pitching behind in the count would make sense if he sported a lousy record. But his 11-1 record and 2.63 ERA are one the of the greater baseball paradoxes I have come across. If I were the Red Sox, I would make a hard play to acquire Brian Fuentes before the trade deadline, and then just hope Ortiz and Ramirez can stay healthy to bulk up the middle of a great lineup. But if it comes down to pitching, which it does in the post season, the Red Sox are going to fall short of the Yankees, Rays, Angels, White Sox, or any other American League foe, not in the sense that they will necessarily lose to them in a playoff series, but it will surely be tough if they aren't scoring 7 runs per game.

* The whole Manny Being Manny theme is a bigger conundrum in Boston these days than anyone could have expected, and the feeling across baseball is that the Red Sox are tired of this circus act. Look, there are few that can do what Ramirez does with a bat in his hands. A few. He is possibly as special as hitters come, and he is a Hall Of Famer in my opinion. Nobody knows for sure the details surrounding the latest clubhouse fiasco in Boston, but it sure feels like a playground squabble that is now becoming a distraction to a baseball club that has its own share of problems to deal with.

We don't know if this whole thing about Manny "faking" an injury is true or not, all we know is that he said his knee is bothering him and that he asked for a couple days off. After neglecting to get treatment and two clean MRIs, the Red Sox are firmly telling Ramirez that he has an obligation to be in the lineup. It seems as if all of this has trickled from the contract rift that was never summed up in the last week or so. Fact is, we don't really know what the Red Sox have done or have not done, said or have not said. We only know what is made public, and that is the actions and words of Ramirez.

Boston is not off the hook; the organization could be as much at fault as anyone here, but we just don't know. But for Ramirez, his acts are impetuous. We understand Manny asked the organization what they were thinking about his $20 million option for next season. The Red Sox preferred to leave it until after the season, and Ramirez decided to pout. Ramirez was not out of line to simply ask what they were thinking, if he was curious, but when he kept on pushing once the Red Sox said they don't want to discuss it during the season, he burned bridges with the club, his teammates, and the fans. Manny has the leverage in this situation, simply because I don't see the Red Sox flat-out releasing him.

Ramirez has two club-options for 2009 and 2010, and his 10-5 rights allow him to veto any trade (10 years in the major leagues, the last five with his current club). The $20 million options and the corresponding circus that comes with Manny's light-hearted approach, may make it difficult for the Red Sox to trade Ramirez. They may ultimately have to pick up his options because, when it comes down to it, he is still one of the best hitters in the game, or they may have to trade him for fifty cents on the dollar. Contract debates are just that, and this certainly is not the first time that an athlete has been all over newspapers, airing out the club's dirty laundry. Those things are fixable; money and production heals all. What is irreparable at this point, though, is the respect for Ramirez in the clubhouse. When the Red Sox are fighting off the Yankees in the wild card race and are trying to keep in the race for the division, Ramirez seems less than interested to be on the field in a late-July series against their hated division rival. Ramirez's preference not to go to battle with his teammates, or so it seems at this point, is what will ultimately run him out of Boston and leave a glorious Red Sox career incomplete in the minds of many.

* Tony Reagins and the rest of the Angels brass and looking smarter and smarter by the day. Newspapers, radio shows, and television analysts have been clamoring for weeks about the Angels dire need for another bat to go in the middle of the lineup, and those people are not wrong. Where some opinions fall short, though, is when they concede that the Angels need that bat to make a serious run at a World Series title. That simply isn't the case.

The Angels beat the Orioles, 11-6, on Saturday evening, backed by two home runs from Torii Hunter, who is back from the bereavement list. The Angels GM, Reagins, has refused to break their bank of prospects to bring in a Mark Teixeira or a Matt Holliday, and he is proving to be right. The Angels don't desperately need that bat; they have enough to win, given the lineup performs like it is capable of. The great pitching and defense will allow them to contend for championships, and their manufacturing style at the plate will suffice for a team that is built around doubles-hitters instead of long balls.

* Here they are, the Milwaukee Brewers, sitting tied atop the National League Central division with the Chicago Cubs, and a big series looming between the two clubs next week in Milwaukee. The Cubs haven't played real poorly during this serge by the Brewers, they have just been caught on the wrong side of some tough games, and Milwaukee is simply beating everybody. The Cubs are playing the Florida Marlins at Wrigley this weekend, and have dropped the past two in extra innings. On the flip side, the Brewers are enjoying at couple of patsy games with the Houston Astros. We will see what happens today and how the standings look going into next week, but the series next week between the two clubs will tell us much more than anything this weekend can give us.

* Life With The Giants, you could call it. Tim Lincecum was dominant Saturday night, striking out 13 Arizona Diamondbacks over seven innings. He left with a 3-2 lead only for the bullpen to blow it in the 8th inning, and the Giants ended up dropping the game 5-3. Brandon Webb simply survived the game, last eight innings, enough to give him his 14th win of the season. It is tough for the Giants, this lack of offense that plagues them. In reality, this is a season that they could have had a legitimate shot at contending for the National League West, given their depth in the starting rotation and the feeble division. The Giants have plenty of pitching in the lower levels of their farm system, making it that much more important that they sign their first-round draft pick this season, catcher Buster Posey, and fast track him and his bat to the big leagues. San Francisco should go hard at bats in free agency this winter, or using some of those pitching reserves to package in a trade. With Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez in the rotation for at least the next five seasons, San Francisco has the foundation of what could potentially be a good club.

Red Sox sent to the Gas Chamber

2008-07-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

The folks that packed Fenway Park Friday night, that chomped on grilled hot dogs and cleansed the palate with a couple Budweisers on Yawkey Way before batting practice, that cozied into one of the finest ballparks our country can offer, witnessed baseball at its best, baseball at its finest, and made millions of television viewers downright jealous. Oh, yeah, that was everything and more we expected going into the first game of the biggest series of the year so far for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees prevailed on this night, 1-0, but the scoreboard only justifies the standings; what it fails to do is tell the story of the show, chronicle the details which will be the topic of conversation for many New Yorkers and Bostonians Saturday morning, and enrich the thrills that keep bringing us back to the game. Baseball, its players, and its story can do that for us, but mere numbers, I say, cannot.

But the numbers that do matter more than the score of tonight's ball game reside on the Green Monster in Fenway Park. That would be the standings of the American League East. The Yankees entered Friday 3 games behind the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in the division and the wild card. With this win, they pulled within 2 games of Boston in the wild card and kept pace with the Rays, who beat the Kansas City Royals.

There is hardly anyone around that expected the Yankees to be in this position come late August, let alone late July. In the outset of July, the Yankees trailed the division by 9 games and were heading towards a disappointing year, perceivably the first season since Derek Jeter broke into the major leagues where the Yankees would not qualify for the post season. With Yankee Stadium in its final season, what a shame that would be.

Fast forward to the present, and the Yankees have made up 6 games in under three weeks to put pressure on the division leaders and finally make this thing a three-team showdown instead of a two-team race. How have they done this? Simple; they have begun to play well-rounded baseball and the ball club is clicking, driven by players who are finally stepping out of the shadows of Jeter and A-Rod and are fulfilling their role, their duties to the club.

Wins don't come by hanging on the sliding shorts of superstars, praying to the bats of sluggers and the arms of a few. That is not how it works, and it appears that the Yankees are making that leap from the team that needs Rodriguez and Giambi to homer in order to win to a club that has catalysts, has guys that handle the bat and play defense, and then allows their boppers to do what they are paid to do. The pitching staff has a sub-2.00 ERA since the All-Star break, and a trip home to the Dominican Republic over the break reformed Robinson Cano, and he has responded with six multi-hit games in the last seven contests. Johnny Damon is back from the disabled list, and his bat is at the top of the line-up.

Everything about this New York team -- their confidence, swagger, ability -- was on display Friday evening in Boston, in an atmosphere that they may have crumbled in only a few weeks ago, up against a pitcher that the lineup may have draped with a white flag last month. Not now, not anymore. The Yankees are feeling this momentum, and they are tasting this division title and a playoff birth.

If there were any doubts surrounding how the Yankees were viewing this season, they were all cleaned up and thrown out in the fourth inning when it was first reported by SI.com that the Yankees had acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates for four minor league prospects. Nady will slide effortlessly into left field with Damon moving to the DH spot, and he will provide another big bat behind Giambi and in front of Cano in the order, creating a gauntlet that opposing teams will have to run four times a game to finish this club off. Marte will fill two holes for the Yankees. He is a shutdown southpaw that can get the left handed hitters out, and he also provides them with a quality option to set-up Mariano Rivera. As we saw Friday night, Kyle Farnsworth just cannot be counted out to provide critical outs in close ball games.

The story of the night was on the mound, and that is where we assumed it would come from given the pitching match-up. Joba Chamberlain and Josh Beckett both went seven innings, and both were outstanding. Everything and more you would expect from two legitimate "aces". With two great offenses like the Yankees and Red Sox, I certainly would have taken the "over" on 1 run, but this night was just a tough one for the men at the plate, it is not a precursor of slumps or sorts of offensive woes. The Yankees offense dangled mercilessly in the right arm of Beckett, while Boston's offense was chopped down by Chamberlain's slider. There is nothing more to make of it. Two dominant horses going at it. Sorry, fellas, today just isn't going to be your day.

Beckett delivered for the Red Sox Friday, it is unfortunate for them that they couldn't crack The Gas Chamber, a.k.a. Joba Chamberlain. Beckett baffled righties with his sharp breaking ball, and he froze lefties with a back-door two-seam fast ball that is simply devastating. The one run that the Yankees scored wasn't even fully earned-- a squirrelly ground ball by Jason Giambi barely rolled to the outfield grass, but with runners at the corners, two outs, and the right side of the infield playing the lefty shift, there was no man in position to field the ball as it crawled through the short stop hole.

That was all they got, but more importantly, it was all they needed. Beckett is entertaining to watch for the obvious reasons, those being that he has great stuff and is one of the best in the business. Yeah, we usually like watching those guys. But it's impossible not to gain more and more respect for this guy as we watch him progress through his career. He is a competitor, a grinder, and he just battles through each start, regardless of whether his teammates are helping him much or not. There is no reason why he should have lost this game, but that is simply the unlucky bounces of the baseball. Nothing you can do.

What is really impressive about Beckett is his poise and his ability to handle "pressure" and loud, hyped environments. The atmosphere of the big stage doesn't cause his focus to waver, doesn't force him to waffle from his game plan. Many guys are blatantly disturbed by the bright lights and the hundreds of television cameras, not to mention the millions of eyes that are tuned in. It is as if some pitchers stand on the mound like 100,000,000 fans are looking at that long, honking piece of spinach stuck between their two front teeth. Beckett stands up there and could be a spokesperson for Colgate, that is how comfortable he looks. What is the difference? Well. for beginners, a 10-game winner and a World Series champion. We will let you decide which one you prefer.

Beckett wasn't as sharp as usual Friday, and that is probably the reason why he came out on the short end. He put plenty of runners on base only to work out of the jams. His fast ball was hammered up the middle numerous times when it was left up and crept over the middle of the plate. The Yankees put on a show in the sense of how to handle arguably the best pitcher in the game. It was apparent that their plan at the plate was to wait for a good fast ball to hit and take it up the middle or the other way. Rarely was any player pulling off the ball, and by doing so, they were able to run up Beckett's pitch count quicker than he would have liked.

What happened on that same mound, though, in the other uniform, was an announcement. An inaugural address to the masses. What Joba Chamberlain did to the Fenway Park mound was nothing short of a dog pulling up on a fire hydrant. I'm here, fellas, and I'm going to do my thing. That's the essence of that message, and when a guy like Chamberlain pairs that attitude and confidence with his ability, greatness is brewing. That is the stepping stone to being the next Josh Beckett, if there is one. More likely, he will be the first Joba Chamberlain, because this kid just jumped from talented rookie to franchise cornerstone in the span of 21 outs.

Joba showed that fast ball, slider combo that makes the world's best hitters look foolish, but he also showed his curve ball and occasional change up. The curve ball buckled the best of them, because what choice did they really have? Chamberlain filled the zone with strikes but, more importantly, quality strikes. He offered up off speed pitches when the hitters had fast ball counts in their favor. One slight on Joba is that sometimes he gets too slider-happy, relying on the bender instead of abusing hitters with his explosive fast ball. When in doubt, go with the 98-mph hard one. If properly located, that pitch fails only by luck of the draw, it doesn't get flat out beat.

It was Chamberlain's dominance that captured the stage. Not many guys can go into that park, against that team, in front of those fans, and force the Red Sox to cry uncle due to a relentless moral beating. That is what happened, whether or not Red Sox Nation, the Fenway Faithful, or any other alias the greater Boston area prefers, wants to admit it. There was enough moxie spewing from the demeanor of Chamberlain to write a novel and mail it to a publisher titled, Beantown Bombing: The Night Joba Chamberlain Became A Yankee.

Hitter after hitter aimlessly walked to the plate with a prayer instead of a plan, and then sauntered back to the dugout with the hope that a Terry Francona butt-slap will lift their spirits. Mike Lowell's at-bat in the seventh inning told us all we needed to know about this night and about the Red Sox and about Joba Chamberlain. Joba broke off one of the dirtier sliders you will ever see, and Lowell buckled quicker than you can say "seat belt".

He stood at the plate for a second, confirming the nightmare, and gave an impassive peek back towards the mound, admitting his inability to compete on the same level, on this given night. The look on his face, that charcoal portrait of utter despair, should be pasted on the front page of the Boston sports sections tomorrow morning with the caption, "That's Why We Play 162". Seriously. That's no slight at Lowell or the Red Sox club. They are extremely talented, and certainly on of the favorites this season to contend for the World Series. But there is nothing to be done against a performance like the one Joba turned in, and being the savvy veteran that he is, Lowell knew it. Plain and simple.

The Red Sox still have a chance to win this series and actually pick up a game on the Yankees by the time the weekend is over. But New York is hot, winners of seven straight, and they are a team that must be choked-out when down. It may be considered somewhat vile in some circles to kick a man when he's down, but in baseball, it is absolutely imperative to choke-out the Yankees when their rival has the chance. Choke-out; as in lifeless.

Funny thing is, Boston ought to try, but Chamberlain beat them to the first punch. We can only hope for more match-ups like this one. A stage where the bright lights are dimmed, the roar is hummed down to a whisper, and the impending action bears the fruit of historically great baseball.